The X-Keepers
by Shadow Shoveler Productions
Summary: When darkness threatens to cover the lands once more, five young Keyblade wielders must band together to save the worlds before an ancient evil is resurrected! Based on the YouTube group of the same name.
1. The Stormless One & The Hectic One

**Hello everyone, and welcome to my newest fanfic, The X-Keepers! **

**Before we get started, I think it's best that I explain something you guys are probably wondering: Who the hell are the X-Keepers?!**

**For those not in the know, The X-Keepers are a group of five Kingdom Hearts YouTubers, known for collaborating on different topics regarding the series, whether it be news, theories, etc. What makes these guys so great, in my opinion, is the fact that each of their differing personalities and traits seem to make for some good chemistry amongst the group, and seem to lend themselves to be kickass characters if ever put into a tale such as this one...**

**Now I'd like to stress before we begin that this story is going a be a little different than my ongoing KH III story, as with that one, I try to mimic the games to a tee (Character dialogue, gameplay flow, so on and so forth.) Here, I will just be trying to straight up tell a story that personally, I would love to see come to life at some point. But hey, a guy can dream...**

**So, without further ado, here is the debut chapter of The X-Keepers! Sit back and enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney **

* * *

**THE X-KEEPERS**

* * *

_His mind was drifting from one thought to the next. _

_Images of the last Keyblade War flashed before his eyes. _

_He saw the seven guardians of light clash with the thirteen seekers of darkness. _

_He saw a boy filled with light confront his darker half, two bitter friends cross their blades, a nobody settling a score with his mentor, a boy who walks the road to dawn face his oldest enemy, and at the centre of it all, the boy chosen by destiny, connected to so many hearts, face to face with what many have considered the embodiment of all that was darkness. _

_All of this, while above in the clouds rested the heart of all worlds in which these two sides fought for: __**Kingdom Hearts**__._

* * *

"Deeeeean…wake up, silly bum."

Suddenly, his eyes flashed open, and gazed upon his master, whom was leaning down toward his face, with her hands on her hips and wore a smirking smile across her face.

"Oh! Sorry master." He flustered, scratching his head.

Seeing as her apprentice was now awake, the master stood back up, "It's ok. I can see you've had a lot on your mind recently." She said.

"Yeah, something like that." He answered, still a bit embarrassed.

"Well, why don't I let you take a break for a little bit, let you clear your mind, and then we can continue later on. How does that sound?" The master asked.

"Ok, I guess." He answered back, a bit relieved that the master wasn't upset. Then again, she did have a lot more patience than the other "master". He then hopped off the rock he was sitting on, starting to leave, before he turned and bowed to his master.

"Thank you, Master Aqua." Aqua giggled a bit as she bowed back to her apprentice. The boy then took off down the corner staircase around the garden. His blue jacket blowing in the rush of wind passing by as he now started to race down the stairs. It was moments like these when he almost felt like a child again.

As he approached the garden's exit, facing the castle library, he took another look out at the beautiful garden. He always thought The Land of Departure was beautiful to begin with, but this place in particular was always a breath of fresh air to visit. After taking one more glance, SoraAlam turned back around to enter the castle library.

What he didn't know was that Aqua was now standing on the balcony above the entrance, looking down at her apprentice as he strolled through the entrance. After the Keyblade War, she, as well as others, learned of a way to pass through corridors of light, similar to the darker ones used by the Organization, making it easier to navigate through the worlds, wherever they may be.

The mere thought of Xehanort and his thirteen seekers of darkness brought back painful memories for Aqua, and how she almost lost all of her friends to the monster she once called a master. But what was important now was that they were all safe, and still with her today.

Well, everyone…except one…

Aqua's thoughts were cut short, however, as to her surprise, a corridor of darkness appeared. Quickly, she summoned her Master Keeper Keyblade, gripping it in her hand ready to attack, only for a familiar face to appear.

"Whoa, relax, it's just me!" said the red haired pyro, as Aqua let her guard down.

"Lea." Aqua greeted. "Why are you using a corridor of darkness? You know it's dangerous to use those."

"Eh, old habit I guess." Lea answered, as the corridor disappeared behind him. "Plus, just something about those new ones of light are just kind of…weird, I guess."

Aqua leaned on the railing as she looked out at the garden. "It sends a better message to the young ones. So far, none of them have shown any signs of darkness in their hearts, and I don't plan on having it start anytime soon."

Lea, though a bit shaken by the statement for some reason, put up a smirk and replied, "That's good. We don't want anymore Xehanorts running around here anymore."

"I only hope that I never have to lay my eyes on that monster again in my life. Nor should my students." Aqua sulked a bit.

Lea sighed, as this was a touchy subject for Aqua, thus he decided to detract from it. "Hey, speaking of those students, how are they coming along?" He asked.

"Very well, actually." Aqua answered, looking inside the library to see SoraAlam looking through the shelves of books. "SoraAlam in particular has been very impressive as of lately. He shows so much potential of a Keyblade master."

"You think he's ready for the mark of mastery?" Lea asked, leaning back on the rail.

Aqua shook her head, "Not yet. He still has much left to learn. But I do see greatness in him. So much light."

"No wonder he named himself after Sora." Lea said, to which Aqua began remembering her old friend.

"Sora…" She mumbled to herself. The boy who opened the door and saved the worlds. Aqua kept herself from getting too emotional, as she moved onto a different subject. "So, how about your apprentice? How's he doing?" Aqua brought up, to which Lea looked away in almost embarrassment.

"Oh, you know. He's coming along. Bit of a handful, but he knows his way around a Keyblade, heck even bested me a couple times dueling." The way Lea was talking made Aqua think he was hiding something.

"What is it Lea?" Aqua finally asked, crossing her arms.

Lea chuckled weakly, thinking of how to break this news to Aqua in a gentle manner, "Um…while training him, I could sense a liiiiiiitlebitofdarknessinhim…" the last part was uttered so fast that Aqua couldn't make out what he had said.

"Wait, go back, what was that, Lea?" She asked, only for Lea to push off the topic.

"Wow, would you look at the time? The old scamp is probably wondering where I am. Got to go, Aqua. Tell the others I said hi!" And with that, a corridor of darkness appeared once again as Lea rushed through it, the corridor disappearing after him.

Aqua just stood there, a bit confused as to what just happened. What exactly was Lea talking about? For the time being, she shrugged it off, looking back out at the garden. When the time was right, she knew Lea would tell her what was going on. She just hoped that his apprentice wasn't being…too hectic this time…

* * *

Radiant Garden.

What started as a kingdom of light that fell into darkness, only for light to return, turned it into a city of sorts for the denizens of the realm of light. It bustled with much more people than it has usually before, with people all over the universe coming to reside in the world.

He looked down from high above the building he was standing on to see the people walking about their day, knowing that their lives are much safer than before. He smiled at the thought of everyone being safe. As he looked out at the bright, pinkish looking sky, a corridor of darkness appeared behind him, with Lea stepping out of it, almost out of breath.

"Whew, there you are!" Lea said, walking closer to him, "If anyone asks, I've been looking all over for you."

He nodded, not taking his eyes off of the sky. "Well, you found me." He said with a smirk.

"What are you doing up here anyway?" Lea asked.

"I like to come up here and think sometimes." He answered calmly, as Lea approached his side, leaning on the edge.

"Really? About what?" Lea asked.

"Like, what if what we think we know is not really fact, or what may happen in the future due to whatever event may happen." He shrugged, not knowing what else to say, "I dunno, I guess I just like predicting the future."

Lea rubbed the back of his neck. "Sheesh, you're starting to sound more like Roxas as the days go by."

He smirked. He always enjoyed Lea's stories about Roxas.

"Anyway," Lea started back up again. "I was wondering if you wanted me to teach you that move now. Y'know the one."

He turned to face his master with a small grin on his face. "Really?" He asked.

"Yeah. You've been progressing pretty well recently, so I thought something new would be in order." Lea faced his pupil as he leaped from the edge onto the ground in front of his master. "You think you can handle it?" Lea asked, as he summoned his Keyblade.

The pupil smirked; it sounded like a piece of cake. Or at least, by Lea's standards. Thus, with a swift swing of his hand, the pupil summoned forth his Keyblade. It was a dark Keyblade, with a sharp black blade with golden teeth, as well as a rounded grey grip around his hand in which he held the blade. It was a complete reflection of its wielder.

He called it 'The Hectic Eternity'.

"Bring it on!" He taunted, as he shifted into his battle stance.

For almost an hour, the two spared with great balance, not one of them losing focus. Both of them ravaged their fire based attacks at each other, but still to no avail. But the moment Lea let his guard down, his apprentice swiped away his fiery keyblade and leaped in the air to deliver what could be considered the final blow.

As he did, it was almost as if time slowed down, as Lea stared upon his pupil, as saw darkness emit from the young boy's body. He saw a fiery rage that none had ever seen before, that almost scared Lea to the core. But the apprentice noticed this himself as well, seeing the shocked and almost fearful look on Lea's face. Thus, he swung his blade away from his teacher, slamming it onto the ground and dropping to his knees in anger.

"Ugh! That's the third time in a row that this has happened!" The apprentice cried out, pounding his fist on the ground. Lea, recovering from almost getting the flames kicked out of him, came to his pupil's side.

"Hey, it's ok." Lea said, resting a hand on his shoulder, "You just got to learn how to control it is all."

The pupil sighed. "I don't know if I can." Both were silent for a while, before Lea rose to his feet, crossing his arms.

"Giving up already?" He said to his student, "C'mon, Gio, I thought you were stronger than that." Hearing that made the pupil do a double take, seeing his master now grinning down at him. As much as he hated to admit it, Lea was right in a way. No matter what situation he was in, no matter how many times he got kicked down, he'd never give up, only come back stronger than ever.

With this in mind, HMK rose up from the ground, now with a playful smirk on his face.

"I'm ready to go again if you are, Master Lea." He said, to which Lea smiled at.

"Now THAT'S what I like to hear!" Lea said, as he summoned his Keyblade again, as both of them resuming their battle positions. "Just forgo calling me master in the future," Lea added, "It just sounds a bit off. After all, we're friends, right?"

HMK grinned, summoning his own keyblade again, "Fair enough…Axel."

Lea rolled his eyes with a groan. Oh how he hated being called that. "Just shut up and attack me." He groaned, to which his apprentice gladly complied, putting the two into another bombastic brawl.

* * *

**Before anyone says anything, yes, a good majority of this fanfic's backstory is based on "The X-Keeper File" by Malik Grier. You can check it out on the X-Keeper's official Facebook page. Trust me, it's pretty cool.**

**Now, I would like to point out, even though I will try and update it the best I can, this story will not be my main focus at the moment, as KH III is still my main focus (As well as FF2, when KH III eventually ends.) But once those two are finished, and this story hasn't completed yet, This story will become my main focus. So don't think I'm going to be ignoring this one...**

**With that out of the way, let me know what you guys think of the first chapter of The X-Keepers. Two of five have been introduced, leaving three to be revealed. Are you hyped? You should be...**

**Until then guys, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**


	2. The Heuristic One & The Progressive One

**Hello everyone, and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Sorry for the wait on this one (I did say that I had other matters to attend to) but I had to make sure that the chapter was epic enough to satisfy you guys. If it is, then I've done my job. If not, then...I got nothing...**

**Also, not sure if I should be surprised or not, but for now I really am, apparently the X-Keepers themselves have read the story so far, and are really enjoying it. Which must mean two things:**

**1\. It's an incredible honor to have you awesome YouTubers view my work and, above all else, enjoy it.**

**2\. Now I'm going to have to work my ass off to make the story more epic than planned (Though it was already planned to be pretty epic to begin with).**

**But again, just wanted to say, to the X-Keepers, if you guys are reading this, thank you for the awesome feedback, and look forward to awesome stuff to come. Like this chapter for example, so I'm just going to shut up and let you read the newest chapter of our tale. Enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney **

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CHAPTER 2

SoraAlam strolled through the rows of books in the castle library, hoping to find something interesting to read. It was pretty much the only pastime he could think of when strolling around the castle, when not training of course.

He looked through the aisles of books, though nothing seemed to catch his eye. He kept walking around, until he saw someone around the corner. He was dressed similar to him, except instead of blue and white, his clothes were green and grey. He was muttering to himself, as it looked like he was reading a book of sorts. Deciding to be the friendly saint he was, SoraAlam walked over to the desk that the boy was sitting at.

"Hey there!" He said, startling the boy a bit, "What are you reading?"

The boy stuttered, "Uh, um, nothing. It's nothing." As much as he tried to cover it up, SoraAlam managed to look past the boy's cover to see what he was reading. Though he didn't see much, he did manage to see enough to know what exactly he was reading about.

"Is that the Keyblade War?" SoraAlam asked, to which the boy sighed and sat back, showing SoraAlam the book.

"Yeah," The boy admitted, "I was reading up on it."

"What for?" SoraAlam asked.

"I dunno," The boy answered, his accent catching SoraAlam's attention, "I just found it interesting. All of the stories that the masters had told, about how they fought against the darkness and, y'know, just all of what happened, I thought it was kinda fascinating."

SoraAlam looked upon the book, which was showing a painting of the battle. It looked almost like the dreams he had been having.

"I can understand that." He said, as he sat down and too started to flip through the book, reading one of the passages. "I mean, who wouldn't. Almost everyone around here knows about the story. An old Keyblade Master named Xehanort spent his whole life obsessed with the first Keyblade War and the source of all power and knowledge that the two sides fought for known as Kingdom Hearts. He knew that a second Keyblade War would summon Kingdom Hearts back and the all-powerful X-Blade would be formed, so that all that Kingdom Hearts had to offer would be his for the taking. So he gathered thirteen vessels to bear his dark persona, and waited for seven guardians of light to face him. And though they did eventually clash, he did not expect for them to defeat him in the end."

"That's what bugs me though. The passage just ends there." The boy said, looking through the book, while SoraAlam took notice of this too, "How exactly did the seven lights defeat him?"

SoraAlam shrugged, "No one knows." He answered, "Some say only the masters who fought in that war know what happened that day."

The boy then thought, "Master Aqua was there that day. Maybe she knows." He said.

"She does know," SoraAlam corrected, "But she never wants to talk about it. I'm guessing something big must've happened."

"Like what?" The boy asked.

"I don't know." SoraAlam sighed, looking down at the book. He always wondered what the Master was hiding from him, but he knew that when the time was right, she would tell him.

SoraAlam then remembered, he didn't even introduce himself! He turned to the boy next to him, holding out his hand to shake. "I'm Dean," He said, "Most people call me SoraAlam."

The boy, though hesitant at first, shook SoraAlam's hand. "Jared," The boy introduced himself, "My friends call me Cynical. That is, if I had any friends." Cynical turned away from SoraAlam, a bit embarrassed, until his new acquaintance piped up again.

"Well, hey, could you consider me a friend?" SoraAlam asked.

Cynical looked back, a bit confused. "But I just met you." He pointed out, to which SoraAlam shrugged.

"So?" he said, "It's better than having no friends at all."

Cynical was about to speak, but then thought about it. SoraAlam is in many ways quite right. Maybe it was high time he made some new friends.

While Cynical thought, SoraAlam spoke up again, hoping out his chair. "Hey, I know a cool place on the other side of the garden. Want to come?" He asked, to which Cynical sat thinking.

All he could muster was a long, "Uhhhhh." SoraAlam then rolled his eyes, dragging Cynical out of his chair.

"C'mon, I'll show you!" He said, as he dragged his new friend out of the library toward this supposed 'cool place'.

* * *

The city was dark. Then again, when wasn't it? The Nobody home world could have been considered abandoned by many, as the world had become less and less populated as time went on after Organization XIII was destroyed during the Keyblade War. Now it just sits in the lanes between with little to no purpose. But right now, it has somewhat of a purpose.

As the dark clouds continued to roll over the skies, two warriors moved through the dark and empty streets of The World That Never Was. They were quiet, both looking forward, all business. It was like they were in military training. It wasn't until one of the warriors, a woman with faded pink hair, turned to her partner, a blonde man dressed all in black, while motioning toward the buildings surrounding them.

"We shouldn't be letting him wander around like this." The woman said, to which the man did not seem to react too much to.

"Aerith said he needs to be more active. Besides, it's not like him to get into too much trouble."

The woman scoffed a bit, "I wouldn't be too sure of that." She said.

"What makes you say that?" The man asked, turning to his colleague.

"You've seen how he gets sometimes." The woman explained, "Aerith may choose not see it, but I know you can't ignore it."

The man closed his eyes, continuing to walk, "I won't let him go down that path like I did. Trust me, Claire. I know he'll be ok."

The woman sighed. "I really wish you wouldn't call me that, Cloud." She groaned, following her partner.

"Sorry…Lightning." The man corrected.

As the two approached Memory's Skyscraper, the woman, Lightning, examined the area as her partner, Cloud, covered her from behind. "Anything?" Cloud asked, to which Lightning did not respond to at first. As Cloud turned around, he noticed exactly why. Rising out of the ground, a large, dark monster appeared in front of the two, its beady yellow eyes glaring down at the two mercenaries.

"I think we found it!" Lightning muttered, pulling her gunblade from her back pouch. Cloud followed suit, drawing his Buster sword from his back as the Darkside Heartless in front of them finally took its shape.

Wasting no time, the heartless rammed its fist into the ground, the two warriors jumping to each side. Lightning was the first to take advantage of this, running up the creature's arm and slashing it across the face. Cloud went for its legs, slashing away, bringing it to its knees. The Darkside, however, grew back its severed limbs, swiping away its attackers.

Cloud and Lightning held their positions. "It's stronger than usual." Lightning pointed out, to which Cloud gritted his teeth.

"We can't fall back. Not now." The Solider stated, to which Lightning nodded, shifting her blade into a rifle, firing at the Heartless' face. The Darkside cover his face as the bullets from Lightning's attack faded into his body, leaving the monster only mildly annoyed. It then let out what sounded almost like a roar of sorts, as Cloud and Lightning held their positions, unsure of what exactly was about to happen.

All the while, atop Memory's Skyscraper, a lone figure stood, looking down at the action taking place. His facial expression was blank, but that's all anyone could make out from the blue hood covering most of his face. As thunder and lightning started to crack through the sky, a small smirk appeared across his face.

It was his time to shine now.

Thus, with a quick leap off the tower, the figure dived toward the massive Heartless, a ball of electricity forming in his hand. As he dived further, the Darkside still paid him no mind, still focusing on the mercenaries down below. Just then, they let their guards down, noticing the figure, a mere boy, falling through the Heartless' heart shaped hole in its chest. What they didn't notice was, during the time in which the boy was falling through the hole, he released the ball of electricity from his hand, with it sitting in the monster's chest until he landed back on the ground, where then the ball exploded, filling the hole full of lightning.

The Darkside doubled over in pain, as the boy rose to his feet, throwing out his hand and glaring down the giant in front of him. As the gigantic heartless looked up at its attacker, a dark ball of electricity formed in the boy's hand, stretching out longer, until in his hand, was a Keyblade.

It was all different shades of blue, its blade pointy and sharp, like a lightning bolt in the sky. It embodied its wielder's energy, with it appropriately being named 'Electric Bond'.

With the Key in hand, the boy pointed it at the heart shaped hole, where his lightning attack was filling up, leaving the giant in more excruciating pain. Suddenly, dark energy began to form at the tip of the blade, as small shocks of lightning began to shoot out. Finally, letting the energy go, the boy fired a massive dark lightning bolt at the creature's aching hole filled with his lightning, causing the immense amount of voltage inside the Heartless to go into overload.

Thus, the lightning attack exploded out of the Darkside, causing it to evaporate into the black smoke that Lightning and Cloud had been used to seeing. As the lightning attack died down, the boy dismissed his Keyblade, wearing a smirk of accomplishment across his face.

Too bad his comrades weren't wearing something similar, as Lightning in particular was fuming. "Tyler, what were you thinking?!" Lightning sternly questioned, "You could've killed us!"

The boy started to panic, "But, I…" He started, only for Cloud to cut him off.

"No 'buts' this time, Volt. That was very risky." The solider said, crossing his arms.

"But, you guys looked like you needed my help. I just saved you from almost getting squashed." The boy tried to defend himself, but to no end, as Lightning simply shoved past him, most likely leading on to leave.

"We could've handled it ourselves." She said as she pushed past the young boy, whom stood back in sadness.

"Sigh, great. Just great." The boy muttered, not noticing Cloud place a hand on his shoulder.

"I know how much you want to prove yourself to Lightning, Volt." Cloud said, in as fatherly of a tone as he could, "But putting yourself in danger like that isn't the right way of going about it."

The boy simply sighed, "I just wanted to show you guys I could be useful." He admitted, to which Cloud, surprisingly, smiled at.

"You can be useful, Volt. You just have a knack for showing off." The blonde swordsman said, to which the boy managed to laugh at.

"Oh gee! Thanks!" He said sarcastically, as Cloud patted the boy's shoulder, stepping out in front of him.

"C'mon, let's head back to base." Cloud said, beginning to wander off.

While his mentor continued walking, The boy continued to stand there, thinking. "There's only one reason why I feel the need to show off." He muttered to himself, as he held out his hand and summoned his Keyblade once more. He looked upon its features, while thinking to himself the question that had plagued his mind since the very day he discovered he could summon the weapon. "Why did you choose me?" He asked himself, until he realized his mentor had continued onward.

Not wanting to get left behind, VoltEditzz dismissed his Keyblade and scampered off to find Cloud, not noticing a dark figure looming atop Memory Skyscraper, glaring down at him before disappearing into the night.

* * *

**There you go, VoltEditzz! Hope that intro was epic enough for you! LOL ;-)**

**With that said, that concludes the second chapter of The X-Keepers! Hope you guys are still enjoying it. Two more have now been revealed, leaving one member left to unveil! (Hope you're ready for the epicness that is about to ensue, Sky!)**

**Until then, feel free too comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**


	3. The Skyward One

**Hello everyone and welcome back to The X-Keepers! **

**At long last, it's time for the final member of the group to be introduced, and let me tell you, it was pretty fun to write this one, and you'll find out why pretty quick. It might be a bit shorter than the last two, but I did make it long enough for you to grasp the awesomeness that ensues!**

**Which reminds me, you'll probably notice a lot of things in this chapter that are reminiscent of another popular series that I'm fond of. I won't say what it is here right away, but I will say that it's season finale last week was BEYOND AWESOME! But that's all I'm saying...**

**So, without further ado, let's continue on with the third chapter of The X-Keepers! Enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney **

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CHAPTER 3

For miles, there was nothing but sand, a massive dune with a bright and burning sun beating down overhead.

But that didn't stop him from trekking on.

Covered in a grey, white and red robe, the figure carried on through the heat, with the slightest wind giving him a cool breeze. He gathered himself over the desert hill, until he saw it.

Agrabah. Civilization at last!

It didn't take him very long before he approached the bazaar within the city. People were out and about, shopping for whatever they could afford, and inspecting what other people were selling. But he was not interesting in buying anything. Instead he just gazed upon the smiles that people wore as they went about their day, not knowing some of the dangers that others, like him had witnessed. If anything, he was just more satisfied with knowing that people were still busy like this.

But more importantly than that was that they were safe.

But it seemed his wandering gaze went on for a little too long, as he didn't watch where he was going, and thus ran into someone quite large. He looked to see whom he bumped into, only to notice it was a guard of sorts, and he did not look too happy.

"Out of my way, street rat!" he spat, to which the figure responded as anyone in that situation would.

"Y'know, because you're in a bazaar right now, I would look into buying some manners, if I were you." He said, making the guard madder than he was already.

"Gah, I'll show you some manners!" The guard huffed, shoving the figure to the side, which caused him to drop the satchel he was carrying on his shoulder.

The guards, snickering, collected the satchel off the ground. "Hey, Razoul, get a load of this." One of them said, holding the satchel out to the guard, Razoul, whom opened it up, and began shifting his hands around inside the old bag. He then caught hold of something, which he pulled out to examine, which was nothing more than a hat.

It was a decent looking white cap, with small wings on both sides, as well as a small emblem on the front, that of a red 'W'.

But faster than Razoul could say "What the…?", a huge pillar of rock shot him up into the air, dropping the satchel and hat. Before any of the guards could react, the figure dashed forward, grabbing the two items from the air, and landing like he didn't even move, staring down the guards.

Stuffing the hat back into the satchel, he growled as nicely as he could, "Please don't touch my hat."

Just then, with a sudden THUD, Razoul landed back on the ground, crashing into a nearby shop. Collecting himself from the crash, and with a crazy look of anger on his face, he yelled at the guards, "Seize him!"

The guards drew their swords, ready to grab the figure, only for him, with a small smirk crossing his face, to dash past the guards like air itself and into the Bazaar. He continued to run, pushing past people in the streets, with the guards hot on his trail. He continued to sprint through the crowd, as he noticed the guards slowly but surely catching up to him.

But he was faster, he knew he was.

Just then, he came around the corner to be met with a dead end, but even that didn't stop him. Waving his hands around, he continued to run toward the wall, while it almost looked like the air itself was beginning to form around him. Finally, he leaped in the air, throwing his hands to the ground, which released the air he gathered and pushed him onto the side of the wall. He continued manipulating the wind around him, bouncing from the bricks to the wooden planks and everything in between, further upward until he landed on top of the building in front of him.

The guards chasing him couldn't believe their eyes. "What is this?" They asked, "How did he do that?"

The figure then looked over the edge, smiling down to the guards. "Sorry, guys!" He called out, "Love to stay and chat, but I have other places to be right now!" He playfully laughed to himself, as he turned to keep moving, until he saw something he was not expecting to see…

"Heartless?!"

Looking ahead of him, the figure saw the three or four Bandit and Pot Spider Heartless form in front of him, looking menacing as usual. As the figure stood there, confused at what he was seeing, one of the Bandits leaped toward him, ready to swing down its sword on the figure. However, the figure just barely noticed it, and threw a blast of fire from his fist at the Bandit, causing it to disappear into thin air.

Quickly, the figure turned to the second Bandit closing in, and threw a second fire blast. However, the Bandit leaped to the side, out of the way. But that didn't stop the figure from swiping at the air, creating a sheet of ice in its path, cutting away the Heartless, as well as two of the Pot Spiders. Still using his momentum, the figure shot himself into the air, flipping over the crowd of Heartless that had begun to form on the roof. Mid flip, he punched the air toward the ground, shooting off more fire blasts that decimated the remaining dark forces, as he then landed back on the ground, on the other side of the roof. As he stood back up, another Bandit appeared, hoping to get in a sneak attack. However, the figure clenched his fist, which formed a pillar out of the ground and obliterated the Heartless right on the spot, not even looking around to see its demise.

Instead, the figure looked out to the desert beyond the walls, contemplating what he just saw. "Alright, Noel, think. What just happened?" He muttered to himself.

The questions kept rattling off in his brain. Why did he just see Heartless? Weren't they vanquished after the events of the Keyblade War? If not, then what other worlds have they attacked if any? All of these questions and more plagued his mind. But even though he had all of these questions, he knew that there was only one answer as to why he saw them here and now: The Heartless are attracted to the Keyblade.

As he continued to think, he could hear grunts and groaning behind him. Turning back around, he saw that the guards had finally made it up to the roof. While many of them were mostly trying to catch their breath, Razoul immediately drew his sword and started marching toward the figure.

"You," Razoul growled, "You have a lot of explaining to do, street rat!" The figure rolled his eyes as the guard continued to stomp over to him.

"Listen, I really don't have time for this," The figure groaned, "Any chance we can reschedule this for another time?"

Razoul wouldn't have any of it though, "We'll discuss your sentence while you rot in the dungeon!" He madly barked, to which the figured sighed.

"Well then," The figure decided, "I guess it's as good as a time as any to be hitting the road."

And with that said, the figure grasped at the air, which summoned a beam of light in his hand. It stretched out long until it faded away to reveal, now grasped in his hand, a Keyblade. It was pure white, with a majestic and royal style grip, along with a small wing for its teeth, fitting of its name: 'The Skyward Promise'.

The figure then threw his Keyblade into the air, as he held his arms to the side and simply fell backwards over the edge of the building, with Razoul watching in confusion. As the figure continued to fall down, the Keyblade reappeared behind him, now in the form of a Glider, which the figure grabbed hold of mid-fall. Using the power of wind again, he propelled himself into the air, taking flight back over the wall.

Looking back, the figure saw Razoul still standing there with a dumbfounded and frustrated expression, while many of the other guards ran to the edge to see what just happened, them too being in awe of what this person had just done. After a brief chuckle at the look on their faces, the figure turned his attention back to the sky. A look of determination had now crossed his face, as he now had a new goal in mind.

It was high time he started looking for some answers.

As he looked ahead to where he was flying, Skyward Wing noticed that a corridor of light had appeared before him. Manipulating the air around him once more, he flew into the corridor, which closed behind him, leaving nothing left except the beating sun upon the desert world.

* * *

**You're welcome, Sky! ;)**

**Yes, if it wasn't painfully obvious, a lot of Skyward Wing's attributes are heavily inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra, as Sky has made it undeniably clear he is a big fan of the show. So, I thought I'd incorporate some of those elements into his character, like elemental magic being his forte, and his Keyblade Glider being reminiscent of Aang's glider in Book 3. So there that is...**

**But now, all of the X-Keepers have been introduced! Now it's time to bring them all together. How exactly? Isn't that the question of the day...**

**Anyway, as always, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! **


	4. Dispatch & The Coming Storm

**Hello everyone, and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Well, golly gee! What are the chances of this chapter being published the day of the X-Keepers next stream? I mean, It's like I had it planned it or something...**

**Naw, I kid...but regardless, now that introductions have been made (Minus one that appears here ;)) it's time to throw our heroes into the thick of things. How exactly? Well, let's find out shall we?**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney**

* * *

CHAPTER 4

Aqua looked over the garden in all of its beauty. She remembered all of the days when she, Terra, and Ventus would relax in this place.

That was before all of the misery with Xehanort took place.

It had been so long since she had been able to just soak in the fact that her home world is once again intact. It was also fantastic knowing that new Keyblade wielders had been discovered, coming here to learn all there is to know about the Keyblade, and to utilize it to the fullest, hopefully to become future masters.

Yes, everything seemed to be peaceful now…and yet, for one reason or another, something didn't seem right to Aqua.

She didn't know what it was, but something just felt…off.

Before she could dwell on the subject further, a small smirk crossed her face. "You're going to have to do a little bit better than that if you want to sneak up on someone like me."

She warmly smiled as she turned around to see a girl with black hair appear out of thin air, wearing a bit of a pout on her face. "Ugh, man!" the girl groaned, "And here I thought I was getting better at this." She walked up to Aqua's side, leaning on the rail and looking out at the garden.

"Well, technically, you are," Aqua nicely pointed out, "Just not on me."

The girl simply smirked, deciding to change to subject. "So, I take it they're not back yet?" She said, crossing her arms.

"You know how Lea is, sometimes, Dispatch." Aqua sighed, "He sees a lot of potential in HMK. So, he's been keeping him away for longer than usual."

The girl, Umbrella Dispatch, sighed at this news, though she was not particularly upset about it. "Should have guessed." She said, "Ever since he learned he could wield the Keyblade he's always wanted to prove himself with it."

Aqua turned to Dispatch with a small smile. "Y'know, I was actually kind of shocked when I learned you couldn't wield one. You seem like a prime candidate to wield such a weapon."

Dispatch snickered a bit, "I think I'll pass." She said kindly, "Besides, deception can be even better weapon when put to good use."

The girls both laughed, before a question occurred in Aqua's mind. "Dispatch, have you noticed anything different about HMK lately?" She asked, to which Dispatch began to think.

"Not recently," She said, "Why do you ask?"

Aqua shrugged, looking back out at the garden, "I don't know. It's just…when I was talking to Lea today, he seemed very uneasy about something. I don't want to jump to conclusions about anything, but…" Dispatch stood upright, bracing for what Aqua had to say, until the master ultimately shook her head. "Never mind," She said, "It can wait for another time."

Just then, a corridor of light appeared behind them, and from there, the duo they were just talking about appeared. As the corridor dismissed itself, Lea and HMK walked toward the two of them.

"Hello, ladies," Lea said coolly, trying to shake off the uneasiness of that corridor of light, "Hope you don't mind us dropping in on you for the evening?"

Aqua smirked, "Not at all, Lea. Not at all." She said.

Amidst this, Dispatch ran to HMK, embracing him tightly. "Nice to see you too, babe." HMK laughed, "How have you been?"

"Great!" Dispatch said, "Aqua has been teaching me a lot these past few days."

"Has she now?" HMK raised an eyebrow with a smirk, but Dispatch lightly swatted him in the arm. "I mean, she has? That's cool. Can't wait to see what you learned." He corrected himself, lightly rubbing his arm.

"Why don't we all catch up inside?" Aqua suggested as the group headed inside the castle as the sky continued to shine…until it slightly got a bit darker…

* * *

The room was abuzz with the new information that Lightning had presented to the committee.

"I don't believe it!" Cid barked at his computer screen.

"Believe it, Cid." Cloud said, "And they're growing stronger by the minute."

Cid was madly typing away, trying to make sense of it all. "You'd think after the kid gave Xehanort the boot, these things would've skedaddled already!" He groaned, as the committee leader, Leon, came up from behind.

"Well we can't do much about it now." He said sternly, "They're here, so we might as well try and find a way to at least weaken them."

"How will we do that?" Aerith asked.

"I don't know." Leon sighed, "But we will find a way."

Yuffie, the committee's resident ninja let out a hearty sigh. "That doesn't really give off a feeling of positivity, Leon." She groaned, only for Leon to roll his eyes.

Suddenly, a large siren went off, alerting everyone to Cid's computer. "Uh…this does NOT look good." The old pilot said, not taking his eyes off what he was seeing.

"What is it?" Yuffie was first to ask.

"Lightning, you said the Heartless were scattered across different worlds, correct?" Cid asked.

"Yeah…" Lightning answered, impatiently.

"Well, now they seem to have just blinked off of my scanners!" Cid said, "And all that's left is this!" Everyone looked at the monitor, now noticing just a huge blob in the middle of the scanner.

"What is that?" Aerith asked.

"Don't know." Cid said, still typing, "But it's giving off a lot of dark energy. And what's worse, is where it's currently headed." Cid then finished typing, and everyone now saw the blob's destination.

Lightning, wide eyed, immediately turned on heel, headed for the door. "Ready the troops and bring the Gummis around!" She barked, turning back around to face the committee, "We got to get out there quickly and warn them!"

"I'm on it!" Yuffie said as she bolted for the door.

Before Lightning could step further, her glance shifted to the corner of the room, where VoltEditzz sat alone, with his hood up as usual, and his head down. She then felt Cloud creep up behind her. "One more chance." He silently said to her, continuing on out the door, leaving her alone to contemplate what to do.

Finally, she turned to the youngster in the corner. "Volt." She barked, getting his attention, "You're with me. Let's go." And with that, Lightning turned and walked out the door, leaving it open.

Volt, talking the hint, let a small smirk cross his face, as he gathered himself off the ground and headed for the door. This was his opportunity to make things right. He just hoped he wouldn't let her down this time.

* * *

"C'mon, it's just over this way!"

SoraAlam continued to drag Cynical over the hills through the castle garden, passing through the garden's far exit and up the steep hill.

"You sure we should be this far from the castle?" Cynical asked worriedly.

"We'll be fine." SoraAlam said reassuringly, "It'll totally be worth it, trust me." The two continued up the hill until they finally made it to the top. "Aaaaaaaand…we're here." SoraAlam then halted, as Cynical tried to catch his breath.

"Remind me the next time you decide to do tha-" Before Cynical could finish his statement, his eyes immediately caught glimpse of where SoraAlam had dragged him to.

The hill they were on was beautiful itself, being a nice semicircle with the rocks stacked up and dandelions blowing in the wind. But past that, Cynical saw the truly "cool" part of this place: The view. From the edge of the hill, Cynical could see the sunrise in all of its glory as it glazed along the rolling hills below as well as the mountains to the side. It almost looked like a painting to him, as he started to smile.

"It's…it's beautiful." Cynical was breathless, as SoraAlam came to his side.

"I knew you might like it." He said, walking up to the edge, and sitting down. Cynical decided to follow suit and sat beside his new friend.

"Usually, whenever I had a bad day, or if I felt something was wrong, I would find myself coming here." SoraAlam explained, "It helped remind me that no matter how dark things may get, light will always find a way to make things brighter."

Cynical nodded, "Makes sense." He said, a smile growing on his face as he responded, "It certainly helped clear my mind a lot, I can tell you that." Both snickered, as SoraAlam continued on.

"Say, did you ever hear Master Lea talk about why the sun sets red?" He asked.

"Oh please, everyone knows that one!" Cynical said bluntly, still smiling.

"Alright then, know-it-all," SoraAlam challenged, "Spill."

Cynical snickered, as he explained in his best impression of Lea, "Light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest." The two were howling at this point, enjoying each other's company and hospitality.

Cynical was then first to talk. "Thank you, SoraAlam."

SoraAlam looked to the boy, "For what?"

"For being my new friend." Cynical said with a small smile. SoraAlam returned the smile as they both looked back to the view. However, the view was NOT as they remembered it.

"Uh…what is that?" Cynical asked cautiously, as they both tried to make sense of what it was.

In the far off distance, the sun was beginning to be blocked by what looked like a dark cloud. But this cloud was different from ones that the two had ever seen before, as it was pitch black, emitting lots off thunder, lightning, and more shockingly, darkness.

Looking back to each other, SoraAlam was first to speak. "I think we should head back now." He said in a flustered manner he gathered himself from the ground.

"Yeah. Good idea!" Cynical said, following suit as the duo bolted from the hill, hurrying as fast as they could back to the castle.

As the two started moving, the dark clouds started to grow bigger, eventually getting to the point where it was covering the entire sky. Thunder and lighting cracked through the sky, as The Land of Departure suddenly got a whole lot darker…

* * *

As the dark clouds started to form, and the thunder and lightning picked up momentum, Aqua's fear stricken eyes would not stop looking at the sky.

"Something's not right." She muttered, as Lea, as well as HMK and Dispatch, came to the window to see what was up, Lea particularly also finding this troubling. HMK and Dispatch, however, didn't know what to make of it. But one thing was for certain, it was certainly starting to freak them out.

Just then, the castle doors swung open as SoraAlam and Cynical raced into the throne room, where Aqua, Lea, HMK and Dispatch were looking at the dark clouds.

"Master!" SoraAlam said in a panic, as he and Cynical strived to tell them about the clouds as best they could in their out of breath tones.

"Calm down boys!" Aqua said, "What is it? What's the matter?"

But before the boys had any time to explain, an enormous blast of energy shattered the windows, knocking everyone to the ground as pieces of rubble started to fly. As the dust started to settle, SoraAlam tried to get himself back up, but was now facing something he thought he would never see.

Emerging from the dust was a Large Body, who slammed it's fists into its giant belly, summoning Shadows in front of it. As everyone gathered themselves from the ground, everything was starting to add up about this dark cloud.

As everyone finally got to their feet, the blasts of energy hit the castle again, and more and more Heartless spread into the courtyard, smashing their way through the garden and the training grounds, and into the castle. As the numbers started to grow, Aqua realized that the worst was happening once again:

Darkness was invading her home world!

* * *

**And it begins...**

**So, yeah, Umbrella Dispatch has been added to the cast! (Your welcome, HMK!...unless you're not happy about this, then I apologize!) Whether or not she'll play a big part in the story or not I'm currently toying with, cause there is potential sitting there. But, I'll just have to wait and see where the story goes from here to decide.**

**But anyways, we have our setup! Now, lets see some major damage take place! (I sure hope Eraqus has insurance on this place, cause booooy is he not going to be happy when he sees the bill for repairs! LOL) **

**Until then, Feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guy in the next chapter! **


	5. Darkness Covers Depature

**Hello everyone, and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**So...if anyone watched the X-Keepers last stream, then you know that they brought up this FanFic...and because Chapter 4 was published the day of that stream, they did a live reading of it...and they also hinted that they have "Big Plans" for it in the future...yeah, I don't know about you, but I think my awesomeness meter just spiked because OMG THAT IS SO AWESOME!...Ahem, I mean, yeah, it's pretty cool, I guess...**

**But in all seriousness, thank you again to the X-Keepers for your praise and support toward this little FanFic of mine, and I can't wait to see what these "Big Plans" are in the future...**

**Ahem...now that that's out of the way, let's blow some stuff up! YAAAAAYYYYY!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney**

* * *

CHAPTER 5

"No."

That was all Aqua could muster.

Her most horrible nightmares were being realized at the worst possible time. She stood there, breathless, at the sight of the dark forces creeping into the castle, into her home, again.

"No." Aqua said it again, tears slowly flowing from her eyes, but this time, her voice was filled with less anguish…and much more rage.

Her eyes narrowed as she stepped forward, summoning her Keyblade, glaring into the beady yellow eyes off the monsters in front of her. "I will NOT allow this," She growled, "Not again!" As a blood curdling scream emitted from her voice, Aqua charged into the swarm, slaying everything in her path.

Lea too drew his Keyblade, as he looked back to the four students behind him. "You four find a way out!" He hollered, "We'll cover you!"

HMK stepped forward, trying to persuade his teacher. "But Lea," He started.

"We'll be fine!" Lea said, as he shot off blasts of fire toward the Heartless coming toward them, "Remember, I'm not that easy to get rid of. Got it memorized?"

Dispatch then tugged at HMK's sleeve. "He'll be fine." Dispatch said softly, "We have to get out of here."

After looking back into the fear stricken eyes of his girlfriend, HMK turned back to Lea, now with a confident look on his face, as he nodded to his master. With that, HMK, Dispatch, as well as SoraAlam and Cynical dashed for the nearest door, as the Heartless moved deeper into the castle.

Lea, turning back to face the swarm, twirled his Keyblade above his head, as he aimed it back down at the approaching darkness, firing off a very powerful blast of Fission Firaga, with his voice cracking through the air.

"**BURN, BABY!**"

* * *

The dark clouds continued to swirl around The Land of Departure as several Gummi Ships flew toward the castle. Lightning, swinging the door open on one of the ships, looked out at the invasion in horror.

"By Cosmos…" She muttered, taking what she was seeing. Shaking her head, Lightning turned back to the matter at hand, calling out the battle plan.

"Cloud, take Beta Team into the courtyard, try and block out the Heartless," She called out, "Alpha Team, your with me. We'll head inside the castle and secure everyone inside. Move out!"

As Lightning finished the plan, everyone dashed from the ships, leaping out and landing on the ground, wiping out any of the dark forces in front of them. As the soldiers exited the aircraft one by one, Lightning stopped the last one before he leapt, giving VoltEditzz a serious look.

"No more showing off this time." She said sternly, "Slip up once, and you're done. Understand?"

Volt nodded, "I got it."

Lightning then slightly smirked, as she drew her gunblade. "Alright then," She said, "Let's go." Finally, she leaped out of the Gummi Ship, plummeting down toward the ground, as she slayed the Heartless mid-air, without even missing a beat.

Volt watched on in awe. "Whoa," he muttered, as he quickly gulped, and too leaped from the ship, summoning his Keyblade, while shooting Thundaga down toward the Heartless below.

* * *

The walls crumbled around the four students, as they tried to make their way through the castle corridors.

"This way!" SoraAlam lead the group, "We've got to move before-" As the young keyblade wielder tried to explain, the walls suddenly burst, bricks flying everywhere, as Heartless swarmed into the hallway.

"Uh, maybe we should find another hallway that isn't filled with these guys." Cynical pointed out, as everyone turned to go the other way, only for another blast to hit the hallway.

SoraAlam desperately tried to turn the group around. "C'mon!" He yelled, "We got to get out of here!"

The students continued running, the walls caving in around them as wave after wave of Heartless began to pile in. But the group kept moving forward, until a small slip up made them stop in their tracks, as Dispatch lost her footing and tripped under her own weight, losing her grasp on HMK's hand.

"Ah! Babe!" Dispatch yelped, as HMK turned on heel at the sound of her sudden cry.

"Dispatch!" He called out, but it was too late, as the walls continued to crumble, trapping Dispatch on the other side. "No!" HMK cried, until Cynical tugged at his sleeve.

"C'mon, we can't fall behind." He said, not realizing that they had already done so. Looking back, the now three students looked to see Neoshadows creeping into the hallway, looking for trouble in the most desperate way.

"Now what do we do?" Cynical asked, turning to his new friend for advice, but even SoraAlam was not sure how exactly they were going to get out of this.

HMK, however, glared upon the swarm, knowing exactly what he was going to do. "I don't know about you two," He said, "But I sure am not going to let these things get away with this!" Quickly, he summoned his Keyblade, and with a small grunt, he leaped into battle, swatting away all of the Heartless that stood in his way.

SoraAlam and Cynical looked at each other. "He's going to get himself killed if we don't do something." Cynical said, as SoraAlam nodded.

"Then it looks like we don't have a choice," He said, summoning his own Keyblade. It was a peculiar blade, with a grip and handle filled with small buttons, as well as a long blue blade, with the teeth bearing the initials 'SG'.

SoraAlam called it 'Maximum Control'.

"Let's take them down. C'mon!" He cried, as he joined HMK in the battle, slashing everything that appeared.

Cynical, however, was hesitant. He had never been in a real fight before, so what chance could he stand against the darkness? But knowing that his friend may need his help, he casted that fear aside, running into the battle, dodging all that the dark forces threw at him.

As SoraAlam watch him from afar, an odd thought occurred in his mind, something that could not be ignored. Slashing his way to his friend, Cynical stood back to back with SoraAlam, whom continued to block the incoming attacks.

"Cynical, why aren't you using your Keyblade?" SoraAlam questioned, trying to hold off the Soldier Heartless pinning him down.

"Yeah," Cynical explained awkwardly, "See, the thing is, I don't actually…have a Keyblade."

SoraAlam's eyes widened. "WHAT?!" He squealed, pushing the Heartless off with a great deal of force.

HMK, meanwhile, was slaying Heartless left, right and centre, though he was continually getting the occasional beating.

Though he wouldn't give up, he couldn't.

That was until a large smack from a Large Body caused him to fly back into SoraAlam and Cynical, leaving the trio in shambles. They tried to get back up, but they were all too tired to do anything.

"They're too strong." HMK pointed out, catching his breath.

"We can't beat them." SoraAlam agreed, as two Neoshadows leaped up at the trio, ready to strike them down once and for all.

But before the monsters could even land, a corridor of Light appeared behind the trio, as Skyward Wing flew out of it, transforming his Keyblade from its glider to its regular form, and slashing the Heartless in one quick flip, still in the air. As he landed back on the ground, he slammed the palm of his hand into the ground, summoning massive pillars from the ground, eliminating every Heartless still around them, leaving the destroyed hallway empty.

He then quickly turned back to the now astonished trio. "Follow me!" He called, waving them to follow.

"Who are you?" SoraAlam was first to ask.

"I'll explain later." Sky said, "Now let's go!" SoraAlam, HMK, and Cynical looked at each other, confused as to who this new figure was. But regardless, he looked like he could help them out.

Thus, as Sky rushed off down the hall, everyone got to their feet and chased after him, hoping he knew where he was going.

* * *

The large amounts of Heartless continued to seep into the castle, as Soldier Heartless marched down the hallways. However, as they continued to move, one of the Solider Heartless broke off from the group, wandering around the corner and out of their sight.

Once it was hidden, a puff of black smoke covered it, until it faded away, leaving Umbrella Dispatch alone to catch her breath.

"Oh yeah," She sighed, "Much better than a Keyblade."

She continued down the hall, trying to evade the Heartless the best she could, as she staggered through the blasts on the castle.

As she wandered the crumbling halls, she found herself looking through one of the windows, gazing at the dark clouds looming overhead. This whole situation frightened her, as she never thought the darkness could be this strong.

She then thought for a moment…is this what HMK always feels?

She knew that he had been trying to conquer the darkness within him for quite some time now, but now seeing what a powerful force the darkness can really be, could this be what he feels every day?

Her thoughts, however, were cut short, when she saw Neoshadow Heartless appear. She gasped, turning away to run, only to be blocked by a Large Body in her way. Dispatch looked both ways, not sure what to do, until the choice was no longer hers.

Looking back out the window, Dispatch noticed a large blast of darkness headed straight toward her.

Bracing for the impact, she casted Reflega on herself, though it still couldn't protect her, as the blast struck the hallway, sending her flying out of the now destroyed castle hallway into the outside air.

* * *

VoltEditzz slammed his Keyblade into the ground, slashing away the Heartless in front of him, as he turned back to Lightning.

"There's too many of them! What do we do?" He asked, trying to block the incoming attacks.

Lightning, too, was weighed down by the swarm, but continued to fight. "Keep moving!" She barked, "We have to get into the castle!"

Volt nodded, but paused at the sight of a massive blast hitting the side of the castle. He squinted, trying to adjust to what he just saw, as his eyes widened at what he was seeing now.

Below the castle was a girl, hanging from the edge of a small cliff. What was worse was that Heartless was starting to creep up toward the edge. As the girl's cry for help echoed, Volt knew he couldn't just stand by and let this happen.

Quickly shoving off the dark forces around him, he dashed for the edge of the courtyard, as Lightning's eyes widened.

"Volt, what are you doing?! Stop!" She cried out, but it was too late, as Volt leaped from the edge down toward the cliff.

Lightning, pushing off the Heartless around her, tried to chase after Volt, but was blocked and quickly surrounded by every form of Heartless imaginable. She breathed deeply, knowing that whatever was going to come next was not going to be in her favor. But that didn't stop her from readying her gunblade in her hand, ready to strike them all down.

"Alright then," She said confidently, "Let's go!"

Thus, as the swarm started to close her in, Lightning charged into the swarm with a cry of rage, ready to make her last stand.

* * *

Dispatch clutched the edge as hard as she could, not for a second wanting to let go, as she watched the Heartless close in with panic in her eyes.

"This is not going to be good," She groaned, as she slowly felt the edge of the cliff start to break.

But before it broke off, she noticed a blue blur descending down toward the swarm, as bolts of lightning shot toward the swarm. "Back off!" She heard a voice say, as the figure emerged on the cliff in front of her, slashing the monsters away.

Dispatch rejoiced, thinking she might just get out of this, until she felt the edge break off, leaving her to plummet into the abyss below. But before she could fall any further, the figure, now having slayed all of the remaining Heartless, quickly turned back around to grab a hold of her hand.

As she tightly grabbed hold of his hand, VoltEditzz used all of his strength to pull Dispatch up onto the cliff, as both collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

"You ok?" Volt asked, as Dispatch gathered the strength to get back up.

"I'll manage." She said.

"Dispatch!" Just then, around the corner, Dispatch turned to see HMK, SoraAlam, and Cynical, along with a new person in a red, white and grey robe, hurrying in their direction.

"HMK!" She cried, as she ran toward her boyfriend, embracing him tightly.

HMK returned the embrace just as much as she did. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine." She said, only for a sudden rumbling noise to catch everyone off guard. Looking upward, everyone noticed that the castle was falling apart, and that it was about to collapse!

Quickly, Skyward Wing summoned a corridor of light over the cliff. "Everyone in! Now!" He called out, as everyone wasted no time in diving in, not sure what exactly would be on the other side.

Sky then jumped in last, closing the corridor behind him as the castle piece broke off from its main component, crashing down onto the cliff, leaving nothing but dust and rubble in its place.

* * *

The clouds continued to loom.

The restoration committee soldiers, all defeated.

And now, large blobs of darkness began to ooze over what was left of the castle grounds.

The Heartless continued to run rampant across the now demolished courtyard, gathering all of the remaining people left, including an unconscious Lightning and Cloud.

As all of this took place, Aqua felt herself being hurled to the ground after being dragged out of the castle, her muscles sore and tired from the battle she just went through.

Both she and an unconscious Lea were forced to the ground, as she looked up to see a man in a black coat standing above them, looking down at them through his hood. Aqua's eyes widened, remembering the last time she saw someone standing over them in a black coat.

But there was no way it could be him…it just couldn't be!

The man then looked up at the Heartless that dragged them out, nodding to them, as he summoned a corridor of darkness beside him. As she began to be dragged through the corridor, Aqua's thoughts were still on what just transpired.

Darkness did not just invade her home world; it ravaged it, leaving nothing left in its wake.

Finally, the corridor closed, leaving the hooded man to oversee what was left of the Land of Departure, as it continued to be consumed by darkness…

* * *

**God, I love cliffhangers. ;)**

**Also, just to address the elephant in the room here, THERE IS A REASON WHY CYNICAL DOESN'T HAVE A KEYBLADE YET. Just thought I'd put that out there before someone flames me in their reviews. **

**Anyway, how was that for an epic chapter? If it didn't get you hyped for he next one, I don't know what will! So, until then, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**


	6. Teaming Up

**Hello everyone, and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Well I've got some good news and some bad news. As many of you know, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Re MIX has released in Japan already, and thus Re:Coded's new secret movie has been unveiled to the public thanks to the holiness that is the internet. But, because I feel like being stubborn and want to wait for Square's official translation of the secret movie, I'll be waiting for the game to be released in North America so that I can watch the English version...which brings me to the bad news...**

**Because this new secret movie contains a lot of info on both Kingdom Hearts X[chi] as well as Kingdom Hearts III, I unfortunately will have to put my KH III FanFic on hold for a while until the game releases, so that I can indulge myself in this new content and refresh myself on how to incorporate it into the story, if I even can. However, the good news is, until December 2nd finally rolls around, I'll be switching my focus to The X-Keepers full time, so expect more chapters to come sooner!...hopefully...**

**Alright, with that out of the way, lets get back into the story, shall we?**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney **

* * *

CHAPTER 6

The first thing Dispatch felt after exiting the portal, was tumbling feet first onto what felt like brick ground. As she tried to ease herself back up, she was immediately knocked back over by an incoming VoltEditzz, as he too slid along the ground. Looking back they noticed Cynical, SoraAlam, and HMK also fall onto the ground after exiting the portal.

After all of the grunting and groaning had subsided, SoraAlam finally asked, "Is everyone ok?"

Dusting himself off, Cynical answered, "Aside from a couple knicks and scratches, yeah I'm fine."

HMK, while tending to both his and Dispatch's wounds, then asked another burning question, "How about what happened back there? Last I checked, the Heartless were close to extinct."

"Not a chance," VoltEditzz answered, pulling himself together, "I've already seen them in a couple worlds. They've returned, and who knows how many other worlds they've infected by now."

"Well, what about OUR world?" HMK asked again, "What happened to it?"

"I've got a feeling that you might not want to know." Both turned to see Cynical looking up at the night sky, as everyone turned their attention to where he was pointing.

Looking upward at the stars above, everyone noticed one of the stars off in the distance was blinking like crazy, until it finally went out. Dispatch, covering her mouth in shock, knew exactly what this meant.

"It…It went out…" She muttered, "It's gone…"

As everyone took in the massive news they were witnessing, HMK closed his eyes in deep thought. Aqua, Lea, everyone in The Land of Departure was gone. And now, they had no idea where they were or where to go.

Looking back to the portal, HMK witnessed Skyward Wing exit through it, though instead of falling to the ground like everyone else, he simply rolled along the ground until he came back to his feet, looking around the area, without a scratch to behold while the portal was dismissed behind him. Breaking away from the group, HMK marched over toward the nomad, with a not too pleased look on his face.

"You," HMK barked, tugging at Sky's collar, "Start talking! Where are we?"

Sky, however, simply pushed off HMK, with an expression of annoyance. "Thank you, Skyward Wing, for saving me and my friends from certain doom!" He said in a sarcastically chipper tone, "For a Keyblade wielder, you're not very humble, are you?"

"Answer me!" HMK pestered again, growing more impatient.

"Alright, ok!" Sky finally answered, "You're in Traverse Town. 1st district, I think. It's a haven for people whom have lost their worlds."

"So, our world really is gone?" Cynical asked, joining the conversation.

"If that blinking star didn't make it any more obvious, then yes." Sky answered, now a little somber, "The Land of Departure is gone."

"Then why bring us here?" HMK asked again.

"So you wanted been squashed by the castle ruins?" Sky asked, crossing his arms as he turned the conversation around.

"I could have handled myself." HMK answered.

"Really?" Sky asked sarcastically, "Because judging by what I saw, I'd say you might not have lasted another minute before the Heartless plowed you in. That or let the darkness consume you, but I'd say it's been doing a rather bang up job doing that already."

HMK, twitching from Sky's last remarked, summoned his Keyblade. "You want to run that one by me again?" He growled, pointed his Keyblade at the nomad.

"I've been around long enough to see where the darkness has left its mark." Sky remarked, "Just looking in your eyes, I can see it flowing through you like a river."

HMK gritted his teeth. "Then why don't you take a closer look!" He barked, ready to swing down his blade.

Just as Sky summoned his Keyblade, ready to block the blow, another Keyblade formed in front of the two, as both Skyward Wing and HMK looked to see SoraAlam, with Maximum Control gripped in his hand, blocking HMK's attack with a stern look on his face.

"Enough!" He commanded, pushing HMK's blade to the side, "All of this bickering isn't going to get us anywhere. What we need to do now is figure out what we're going to do next."

HMK, dismissing his Keyblade with a sigh, turned away from the two, looking toward the World's Exit. "Well, I'm not just going to sit around and wait for more Heartless to fall into our laps." He said, as SoraAlam and Skyward Wing looked to each other.

"What do you mean?" SoraAlam asked.

"What do you think?" HMK bluntly answered, looking back to his new acquaintances, "I'm going to go find who did this!"

"You can't just go out there on your own." SoraAlam stated, "You're going to get yourself killed, or worse."

"Well I can't just stand here and do nothing either." HMK replied, to which SoraAlam had to agree. The longer they wait around, the more worlds the Heartless invade.

Thus, thinking quickly, he approached HMK. "Then I guess I'm going with you." SoraAlam said, to which HMK raised an eyebrow.

"You sure about that?" He asked, "I get you can handle yourself, but this isn't going to be some field trip?"

"I know that." SoraAlam answered, "But I also know that everyone needs someone to have their back when they need it." HMK smirked, admiring the kid's attitude.

Skyward Wing then approached the two. "You'll need someone to guide you through the worlds." He pointed out, "I guess I can tag along and show you guys around." HMK, though a little disgruntled to have him around, nodded regardless, knowing that they would definitely need a guide.

SoraAlam then turned to his other friend. "How about it, Cynical?" He asked, "Want to go see the worlds?"

Cynical shrugged, "As long as everything gets resolved, I'll do anything to help you guys." SoraAlam nodded, glad to have him aboard.

As the four of them planned and talked, Dispatch watched on in the distance, knowing the adventure they were about to get themselves into. However, it felt as though something was missing. Realizing what it was, she turned around to see VoltEditzz sitting alone by the wall, not paying mind to anything. Realizing something, Dispatch made her way over toward him.

"Hey," she greeted, to which Volt looked over before turning away again. "I never got the chance to thank you for saving me." Dispatch continued.

Volt nodded. "It's no problem." He silently answered, "Just doing what I had to."

Leaning up against the wall, Dispatch looked back to the group. "You're not going to join them?" She asked, to which Volt shook his head.

"They don't need me." He answered, to which Dispatch smirked.

"Really?" She asked, "With your skills and knowledge, I'd say you would be pretty useful."

Volt chuckled slightly, though still didn't budge. "If they saw what I was capable off, they'd turn me away the second they get the chance."

Dispatch sighed, "You sound just like HMK."

Volt turned his head, confused by this. "What do you mean?" He asked, to which Dispatch enlightened him.

"He may try and ignore it, but I've seen what's inside him." She explained "Just a hint of darkness that could drive him insane the moment he lets it loose." She then looked back to Volt, "I've noticed that you too have something similar." Volt gasped a bit, holding his hand over his heart before letting out a sigh.

"Why are you telling me this?" He asked.

"I need someone to watch over him. To bring him to his senses if he ever walked down that path." Dispatch looked back to Volt, who contemplated the task. If HMK was truly going through the same thing he was, then maybe it would be good to have someone for him to talk to about it; someone who's going through something similar.

Turning back to Dispatch, Volt nodded. "I'll do it." He answered, bring himself to his feet.

"Thank you." Dispatch thanked him, as Volt headed over toward the group.

As everyone prepared to head out, HMK and Dispatch said their good byes. "Are you sure you'll be ok?" He asked, to which Dispatch grinned.

"I'll be fine," She insisted, "I told you, Aqua taught me a lot while you were gone. I'll be able to handle myself."

HMK sighed, "I know. I just don't like the thought of losing you."

Dispatch smiled, pointing to the centre of his chest. "As long as you remember me, and keep me in your heart, then I won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

"I'll come back for you," HMK stated, gripping her hand in his, "I promise."

Dispatch smiled, kissing HMK's cheek. "I know you will." She said back, as she backed away from him slowly.

Adjusting the dark sunglasses on his face, HMK grinned, summoning his Keyblade and throwing it into the air. Quickly, he then did a backflip in the air, as his Keyblade returned to him, now in its glider form, resembling that of a hog bike, as he landed on the seat of the bike, revving its engine.

SoraAlam, seeing HMK summon his glider, decided to follow suit, as he summoned his own Keyblade, throwing it into the air, as it returned to him also in the form of a motorcycle. However, as he got on, he looked to see Cynical by himself, to which he remembered: He didn't have a Keyblade. It still troubled SoraAlam as to why he didn't have one, but decided to worry about it later.

Noticing that his Keyblade glider had a sidecar, SoraAlam called out to his friend, "Hey, Cynical." Hearing his name be called, Cynical turned to SoraAlam, who signaled him over, "C'mon, hop in!" Smiling, Cynical made his way over, hoping into the sidecar of SoraAlam's glider.

Skyward Wing, following suit with everyone else, threw his now summoned Keyblade into the air, as he pushed himself up through a blast of air toward the ground, grabbing his now formed glider from the air.

VoltEditzz, with his Keyblade also summoned, threw his Keyblade upward, ready for his glider to come around. However, instead, his Keyblade transformation flew back down onto his shoulders, attaching itself onto his back. VoltEditzz smirked at its appearance: A Keyblade Jetpack! Leaping into the air, a blast of lightning emerged from its thrusters as Volt propelled himself into the air.

As everyone had their gliders summoned, the five Keyblade wielders finally took off, flying out of the 1st district and into the sky, as Dispatch watched in awe.

"Be safe, you guys." She muttered, as she watched them finally disappear into the lanes between, leaving only a blinking light behind them.

* * *

With a sudden gasp for air, Aqua opened her eyes.

Was she asleep? Unconscious? Either way, her heavy breathing suggested that she have been having a nightmare of sorts.

As her breathing slowed down, she pulled her head off of the stone floor, until she was now sitting up, looking all around her. She squinted, trying to regain her senses, as her sight began to emerge.

"Where…am I?" She asked, until a familiar voice rang in her ears.

"Well isn't that the question of the day." Aqua turned to see the large spiky hair she had grown to familiarize with only one person:

"Lea!" Aqua exclaimed, looking to see her friend sitting behind what looked like metal bars. "Are you ok?" She asked, as Lea rubbed his head.

"Eh, I'm alright. A bit of a headache though," He answered, pulling himself closer to the bars, "How about you? You've been out for quite a while."

"I guess I'm ok," Aqua replied, looking around again, "Where are we?"

"What does it look like?" Aqua looked across from her to see Lightning, also behind bars. "Prison," She said, "The least of your problems I'm sure."

Aqua continued to think to herself again. "But why are we here?" She asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know…"

Everyone was now at attention at the sound of the booming, yet calm, new voice that was heard. Just then, a corridor of darkness began to envelop the hallway between Aqua and Lightning's cells, as it disappeared to reveal a man in a black, Organization coat.

"Look, buddy, I love the fashion choice and everything, but that doesn't really help us at the moment." Lea said sarcastically, as the figure did nothing more but snicker at his comment.

"I'll have you know that your confinement here will not be overly long." The figure explained, "Soon, the moment will be upon us, and all will be as it should."

Aqua approached the bars, glaring at the figure. "What moment?" She growled, but the figure did not flinch.

"Why…you of all people should know, Master Aqua…" The figure replied, as Aqua gasped at the revelation that this person knew her name.

Finally, the figure answered her question…

"…Our…Reunion…"

And with that, the corridor appeared again, causing the figure to disappear, leaving the three of them alone in the chambers, left with nothing else but to contemplate.

* * *

**And thus, our adventure begins!**

**I hope the reveal of the Keyblade gliders was epic enough for you guys! Which reminds me, if any artists out there that want to take a crack at drawing their Keyblade gliders (I know you're reading this, Akaio! ;)), feel free to give it a shot, and be sure to send me a link, would love to see them! :D **

**Anyway, as always guys, let me know what you thought in your reviews, as I love to hear your guys thoughts and theories! (Especially the X-keepers themselves, I really appreciate it!) **

**So, until next time, my friends, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! **

**P.S. Props to anyone who can find the Amazing Spider-Man 2 reference!**


	7. Unlucky Ambush

**Hello everyone and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Now that everything has been established, it's time for our five heroes to set out on their adventure! **

**I will admit, this chapter had a lot more than I thought it was going to, so instead, I'm splitting it into 2 chapters, with the next being on the way soon (Hopefully before the X-Keepers next stream!). In the meantime, let's continue on with where we left off!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney **

* * *

CHAPTER 7

The lanes between were much brighter than it had been in some time, as it emitted a blue-ish white glow. Different colored clouds floated effortlessly around the space-like realm as four Keyblade gliders sped through the colorful skies.

Looking around, VoltEditzz was the first to ask, "Ok, Sky. You're the guide here, so where exactly are we going?"

Skyward Wing, who was leading the group, never took his eyes off of the worlds in front of him, looking out for one in particular. "You'll know it when you see it." He replied, still looking ahead intently.

SoraAlam then added to the conversation, "How is that exactly? Aside from Traverse Town, we haven't really seen most of the outside world."

Sky looked back at SoraAlam, confused. "Really?" He asked, "That's odd. After the worlds became connected again, I thought people had seen what the other worlds are like." He laughed a little, "Guess I'm one of the only few then."

HMK grumbled to himself, still following behind, "One of the few, alright." He muttered. So far, Sky hadn't left a very good impact on him, and his cocky attitude wasn't helping much. Deciding to steer the conversation back on track, HMK flew up beside Skyward Wing, "You said this place we're going to is important. How exactly?" He asked, to which Sky smirked.

"Simple: no matter where we go, the darkness is going to be there." He answered, "So it would be beneficial to us all if we knew something about it. Like, where exactly it's coming from."

"Or how to stop it." Cynical added.

"Exactly! See, Lucky over here's got this." Sky answered, though Cynical did do a double take to his clothes again after that statement.

"And you're sure where we're going has the answers we're looking for?" Volt asked.

"Without a doubt." Sky said positively, "Then again, if it doesn't, it won't hurt to check in on an old friend…"

Suddenly, without warning, several Gummi Ships blasted into the way of the group's travel, causing them to lose balance of their flight. As they tumbled through the air, several beams of light emitted from the ships, pulling each of the young heroes into the different ships. Though they tried to edge their way out of the situation they were in, it was no use, as they disappeared into the various ships. Thus, with their targets in tow, the ships began blasting back in the direction they came from.

* * *

With his Keyblade glider dismissed, SoraAlam had no choice but to fall hard on the ground, with Cynical not too far behind him. After his pain subsided, he glanced back up to see what looked like robots staring down at him, all with mostly red glowing eyes.

SoraAlam sheepishly laughed, "You gentlemen look very nice today." He said, a bit of panic in his eye, but the robots knew what needed to be done. Quickly, they collected the duo off of the ground and held them with their hand tied together, eventually handcuffing their wrists.

"Hey, what's all of this for?" Cynical demanded, only for the bot who cuffed him to growl mercilessly at him, to which the heuristic one began to back off. "Uh, never mind," He simply uttered, "In fact they are quite comfortable after you wear them for a couple minutes." The bot, backing away, simply grunted as Cynical and SoraAlam were lead down a hallway. "Should I even ask where we are?" Cynical whispered to SoraAlam, whom looked just as confused as Cynical was.

"Something tells me we might not even want to know." SoraAlam whispered back, as the duo were led near a window, where SoraAlam was able to get a glimpse of what was outside.

It was a massive fleet of Gummi Ships, some ranging from your average fighter jets, to massive battle cruisers. It was here SoraAlam caught a glimpse of quite possibly the largest Gummi Ship he had ever seen, realizing it must be the main ship. His glance, however, was cut short as the bots continued to push him and Cynical forward, until the two of them, as well as two other bots, were loaded onto a small platform.

"Commence beaming protocol 347639." One of the bots announced, to which another bot, sitting by a communications desk, nodded.

"Confirmed." The bot said, pressing numerous buttons on the desk, "Beaming commencing."

"Wait, what?" SoraAlam asked, but it was too late, as the bot finished typing, causing a massive vortex of light to emit around the four figures, until it faded away, to leave nothing left on the platform.

* * *

SoraAlam had his eyes shut tight when the light blinded his view, but when he opened them back up, his surroundings were quite different.

He looked to see that the robots that had him and Cynical surrounded were gone, and instead, the two of them were placed on a track, where their feet were cuffed into place.

"Ugh! What is this? What is going on?" SoraAlam demanded, but no one would answer. As he and Cynical looked to each other for answers, a beam of light appeared beside them, as VoltEdizz appeared beside Cynical, also handcuffed, and also getting his feet clamped down.

"Volt! You ok?" Cynical asked.

"I've had better days." Volt answered, trying to shake his shackles off, but to no avail.

It wasn't long before HMK, also squirming in his cuffs, appeared beside SoraAlam, with no shortage of rage teeming in him.

"I swear, if our 'guide' just led us into a trap, I will rip his-" Before HMK could finish that statement, a beam of light appeared beside him, where Skyward Wing appeared, also shackled, and displaying a lot of panic.

"Stupid cuffs!" He hollered at his wrists, shaking them all around, "Why won't you come off!" As he jiggled with his confinement, his gazed slowly turned to the annoyed as well as angered faces of his companions, whom he just gave back a sheepish smile. "Uh, would you believe me if I said I had no idea what was going on?" Sky asked as calmly as he could.

"It would be a first." HMK sarcastically quipped, before SoraAlam steered everyone back to the situation at hand.

"Do you even know where we are, Sky?" SoraAlam asked, to which Sky tried to think.

"Now that you mention it, This ship does look kinda familiar…" Sky continued to ponder, but only until the door in front of the group swung open, leaving a small shadow in the doorway.

"Alright, alright, what do we have here?" the shadowy figure said, as it began to step forward, alongside two of the robots. "Looks like a bunch of no good troublemakers trespassing on our border!"

"No, no, it was an honest mistake, we swear." SoraAlam pleaded, but the figure would not have any of it.

"Oh, an honest mistake you say?" He asked, as the door slammed behind him, revealing himself to the group, "Not so honest if you ask me."

Suddenly, the eyes of both Skyward Wing and VoltEditzz widened at the figure's appearance…a small rabbit.

"Oswald?" They both uttered, leaving both of them, as well as the other three, confused.

"Wait, how do you know him?" Sky asked.

"Where do you think all of this Gummi technology came from?" Volt answered, "The restoration committee set up a fleet to protect Disney Castle whenever it was needed, and Oswald was given leadership on behalf of the King."

"And it's nice to see you too, VoltEditzz." Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit responded, with a bit of a sneer on his face. "I would ask what you're doing with a group of ragtag hoodlums, but on the other hand, it doesn't surprise me that much." Oswald then leaped over to Sky. "And as for you! Word has it that a cloaked figure has been causing trouble within the worlds. I knew it was only a matter of time before I caught him and his accomplices!"

SoraAlam's eyes widened at this discovery. "Another cloaked figure?" He muttered to himself, turning to Cynical, "You don't think that might be the one who threw our world into darkness, do you?" Cynical, however, only shrugged, unsure, as the two turned back to see Sky pleading to Oswald.

"Oh come on, Oswald, don't you recognize me?" He asked, "It's me, Skyward Wing, remember?"

Oswald, however, only scoffed. "Ha! Please." he huffed, turning away from the nomad, "I would know Skyward Wing the moment I laid eyes on him, and you, sir, do not fit the bill."

"Are you kidding me right now?" Sky squealed, on the brink of losing his mind.

"I only kid when the time is right." Oswald said, before a small beeping noise was made. Reaching behind him, Oswald pulled out a small communication device, which he flipped open and held to his ear.

"Ah, your majesty!" He greeted, "Yes, I'm here with them right now." There was a pause, before Oswald spoke again. "Uh huh." He nodded, "Are you sure?" Another pause went by, the group looking at each other nervously. Oswald then sighed, "Alright, whatever you say, Mouse."

Oswald then turned back to the group. "Good news! The king has requested an audience; looks like your punishment is going to be coming sooner than expected."

"WHAT?!" The group screeched, as Oswald turned on heel for the door.

"Pilot! Set a course for home!" Oswald ordered, as he exited the room, leaving the group to look at each other with worried faces.

* * *

The bright blues skies shined bright over the oddly shaped castle, as a number of broomstick soldiers, led by Oswald, surrounded the group, whom were still bearing their handcuffs, while being led down the massive hallway. Everyone was not sure what to think or do, as this was a new experience for them. Skyward Wing in particular was very on edge. He only hoped that there would be a silver lining to this.

Soon, Oswald stopped before an enormous purple door, bearing the king's insignia. Anyone who has ever seen this door knew what was on the other side, and the group gulped knowing exactly what, or more importantly who, was waiting for them in there. Thus, after clearing his throat a bit, Oswald knocked on the massive door, only for a smaller secret door to open at their height.

After opening the door wider, the guards led the group into the massive white chamber, where down at the far end, King Mickey Mouse sat upon his throne, with Queen Minnie standing at his side, while his dog Pluto, sat at his other side.

Leading them down toward the king, Oswald then dropped the group to their knees as he approached the throne. "Your majesty," Oswald bowed, "as per your instructions, I have brought you the riff raffs you requested." Mickey, after giving a small nod to Minnie, rose from his throne, as he nodded to Oswald to continue.

"We found them flying within the world's border." Oswald continued. "They were not armed, though this know-it-all in the cloak was carrying this." Oswald then held out Sky's satchel, which he handed to Mickey, who looked at it curiously. He looked upon its features, before something caught his eye: The satchel's button resembled his insignia.

Curious, Mickey looked to the cloaked figure, with a look of determination appearing on his face. Handing the satchel back to Oswald, Mickey wandered over toward Sky, before standing across from him. Suddenly, Mickey formed the Kingdom Key D in his hand, the young heroes gasping at what they thought the king was doing.

"At long last, you've come out of hiding." Mickey stated, pointing his Keyblade at Sky, who was display no shortage of fear this point. Then, without warning, a beam of light shot out of the Keyblade at Sky.

Bracing for the impact, Sky then opened his eyes. He wasn't harmed in any way. In fact, the only thing that did happen was that he, along with his other companions, were freed from their handcuffs. Confused, Sky looked back to Mickey, who wore his signature grin with a chuckle.

"It's nice to see you again, Sky." Mickey said with open arms, to which Sky was left with nothing else but to smile.

"It's nice to see you again too, Mickey." He replied, humbly bowing before the king.

Everyone else, however, was confused. "Uh, Mouse, you wanna fill me in on what all of this is about?" Oswald asked, to which Mickey simply pointed to the satchel. Curious, Oswald opened it up, and ended up grabbing Sky's white cap, to which he not only looked at it wide eyed, but also slapped his forehead.

"Stupid!" He cried out, "How could I be so blind?" He then dropped the satchel as he cursed the entire way out of the chamber.

Mickey then turned to the others, who were just as confused. "You'll have to excuse my brother," Mickey said cheerfully, "Neither of us were ever the brightest at remembering faces. I hope you all are still ok."

"Aside from the kidnapping, I'd say it's more exciting then what most of us are used to." Cynical answered, as SoraAlam nodded accordingly.

Mickey then turned back to Sky. "So, what brings you all here? It's been too long since we've seen each other Sky." Mickey asked, to which Sky knelt back down to Mickey's height to explain.

"It has been too long, old friend." Sky replied, "Which is kind of why we're here. We thought you might be able to help us with something…"

* * *

**Ta-da! Surprised?...no...well, ok, at least I tried...**

**But yeah, because Sky has professed Mickey to be his favourite character, it only made sense that not only would these two be good friends, but he also would be the first person that the group would go to for help. That, and because next chapter, it's BACKSTORY TIME! YAAAY! **

**Also, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit has made his debut! I put him in this position because of the fact that he may or may not appear in KH3, so I thought I would include him anyway (PS. If anyone asks, yes, Oswald will be appearing in my KH3 FanFic.) If anyone wishes to know what I think his outfit will look like, check out the deviantART photo "Keyblade Masters" by nuckerbar. It's pretty boss!**

**So, with all of that said, time to bring this chapter to a close. But don't fret, my friends, the next chapter should be arriving shortly, so stay hyped! In the meantime, however, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! **


	8. Answers and Acceptance

**Hello everyone and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Continuing on from where we left off, it's time we dive into the backstory of one of the X-Keepers. Aaaaaand yeah, that's about it. Seriously, I really enjoyed writing this one, so I'm just going to shut up now and let you guys read it, so let's go!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney**

* * *

CHAPTER 8

Mickey sat contemplating the information that Sky had relayed to him, as everyone gathered in the library to hear what the mouse king had to say.

"The moment I heard about what happened, I immediately sent the castle into lock down, nobody getting in or out of this world until further notice." Mickey explained, "I wanted to leave to figure out what had happened for myself, but I knew that couldn't leave everyone again, especially after what happened with-" Mickey cut himself off, not sure if he should dwell on the terrible memories he had witnessed. After looking at the confused faces of the group, he simply continued on. "Never mind," He decided, "In the end, I decided to stay and protect my kingdom at all costs."

Everyone shared glances with one another, taking in Mickey's story. "So you didn't know that the Heartless were back?" VoltEditzz was first to ask.

"Not until it was too late." Mickey answered, before being lost in deep thought, "Gosh, to think about where they might be right now."

"The trouble is figuring out which worlds they've infected at this point." Cynical pointed out, to which HMK was the first to respond to.

"Then that means we need to start investigating as soon as possible." He said, "Check every world we can."

Everyone nodded, as Sky turned back to Mickey. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Sky." Mickey apologized, to which Sky waved it off.

"It's ok," He shrugged, "I'm sure we'll find something that will help us. Thank you for your time anyway, Mickey." After rising to his feet, Sky walked over toward the others, where they decided to head out. As everyone exited the room, Sky was last to leave. He was almost at the door, before Mickey called back out to him.

"You don't wear the hat anymore." The mouse pointed out, which caused Sky to stop.

With a small sigh, he closed the door and turned back to Mickey. "I'm not fit to wear it," He said, "Not after what happened."

Mickey hopped out of his chair, as he stood across from his young friend. "What happened wasn't your fault." Mickey tried to explain, but Sky was having none of it.

"Yes it was, Mickey!" Sky replied, summoning his Keyblade, "My world fell into darkness because of this thing!" Mickey sighed, knowing that he wouldn't listen, as Sky continued to rant. "Ever since you taught me how to use it, I became too careless, all to the point where I couldn't save my home. Which is why I've tried not to use it anymore."

"Then how did you get here?" Mickey asked.

"It's my only mode of transportation. Well, this and corridors of light, but those are just…weird." Sky answered, "But that's not the point. The point is, every time I wear that hat, all of those bad memories just come rushing back to me. And it scares me."

"Then why do you still carry it with you?" Mickey asked, to which Sky paused a bit. He did bring up a good point, one Sky couldn't argue with even if he wanted to. He knew why he carried it with him. He was just too afraid to admit to himself.

That is, until now.

Turning back to the mouse king, Sky responded, "Because it also reminds me to keep fighting. To make sure no one else goes through what I had to."

Mickey, now wearing a small smile, approached Sky, who knelt down to him. "Everyone has a past that they don't like to remember." Mickey explained warmly, "A good friend of mine knows that all too well. But what he always remembers, is that no matter how much you've lost, or how much pain you had to go through, you must never stop fighting."

Sky looked to his mouse friend, a small smile growing on his face. He knew that Mickey was right, and in that instant, he started to believe it himself. what happened wasn't his fault. But still, there was still a part of him that felt guilty for what happened…

* * *

As Oswald led the group through the castle, SoraAlam still dwelled on Skyward Wing's lengthy talk with the King.

"I wonder what's taking them so long." He asked, looking back to the door to the library.

"I'm sure they're just catching up on old times." VoltEditzz reassured, "After all, they did say it had been long time since they had seen each other."

"True," SoraAlam said, "But then again, what exactly could they be talking about?"

"Who knows?" Oswald whined at the front of the group, "Probably just the usual mumbo jumbo you would hear Keyblade masters like them talk about."

Everyone then stopped in their tracks. "Wait hold on! Sky is a Keyblade master?" Cynical asked, to which Oswald continued to explain.

"Yup, trained and taken through the mark of mastery by the king himself." Oswald pointed out, "Well, him and Master Yen Sid of course."

The young boys stared at each other confused, "THE Master Yen Sid?" Volt asked, "But I thought he had…well, y'know."

"Well, ok, maybe in spirit perhaps, but still," Oswald went on to explain, "Sky was taught from a young age how to summon his own Keyblade, and occasionally, snuck off from his home world to train how to use it. I still got bruises from those blasted training sessions the mouse had to put me through with him!" Oswald rubbed his arm, as those painful, yet fun memories flashed back to him.

"So let me guess, he's a Keyblade wielding prodigy." HMK groaned.

"He's got spunk, I can tell you that, but he's still got a lot to learn." Oswald responded, "Which makes me wonder why he keeps running into a fight to not use his Keyblade?"

"Actually, I've noticed that, too." Cynical pointed out, "Why doesn't Sky use his Keyblade?"

Oswald sighed, "I'm pretty sure he wouldn't want me telling anyone about it."

"Why not?" Volt asked, as Oswald tried to switch the topic.

"It's best that I just don't talk about it." Oswald said sternly, alerting the group that obviously, something was not right.

"Oswald, what happened?" SoraAlam softly asked, to which Oswald sighed in defeat, knowing they would be told it sooner or later.

Finally, Oswald answered, "Sky's home world was consumed by darkness."

Everyone stood shocked. "Wait, what?" Cynical questioned, his hands covering is face in confusion. "How is that even possible?"

"As you should already know, the Keyblade is notorious for attracting the darkness that lurks in every world, whether it be protected by the light or not." Oswald explained, "Each time Sky left his home, the darkness would slowly infect his world, due to his Keyblade's power attracting it, to the point where when he returned from his training, his world was gone, leaving nothing but the cold emptiness of the lanes between in its place."

Everyone stood speechless. From what they had known of Sky, they could have never predicted this. "No wonder he's so chipper, he's repressing those memories." Volt stated, as everyone agreed.

"That reminds me, what's the deal with that satchel of his? Why does he worry about it so much?" HMK asked, to which Oswald smirked a bit.

"It's not the satchel he worries about, but what's inside it." He corrected, "After Sky was declared a master, three good fairies crafted him a hat that possessed special powers. But after what happened to his world, he hasn't worn it since."

Everyone was now more somber knowing what Sky was going through. Even HMK had to admit that Sky had it pretty rough. "So now what? He's just wandering the worlds, seeking hope wherever it is?" He asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Oswald said with a shrug, "All I can tell you for sure, is that whatever happened to him, he clearly doesn't want happening to anyone else."

"Poor guy." Volt sighed, as everyone agreed.

The hallway was silent for a brief moment, before SoraAlam broke the silence. "I say we help Sky out." He stated, "We can't let other worlds suffer the fate that his world did, let alone our own."

"Agreed." Volt chimed in, "I guess we've got our path set for us."

"Then that still leaves us to figure out who exactly did send our world into darkness to begin with." Cynical reminded them.

"And how do you suggest we do that?" HMK asked.

"You could just simply ask…"

Suddenly, everyone's eyes shifted to every edge of the castle, trying to figure out where that voice had come from. Looking out into the courtyard, the group noticed a corridor of darkness appearing above the castle foliage, where from out of it, stepped a man in a black coat. Knowing this couldn't be good, Oswald summoned his Keyblade and leaped from the hallway balcony into the courtyard, the others following suit.

"State your business, creep!" Oswald demanded, as the figure did nothing but hold his arms out in front of him.

"My, my, aren't we feisty today." The figure mocked, before the others eventually stepped in to help.

"Talk, or you'll see more than feisty!" HMK demanded, as the figure's hands began to drop, while HMK felt as though the figure was staring intently at him, though he couldn't see his eyes.

"Very well," the figure agreed, "I'll talk. We are merely here to make sure that no wielders of the Keyblade are interfering with our plans."

"Wait a second," Cynical realized, "We?"

The figure, knowing that he revealed that small detail, began to snicker, as small globs of darkness began to appear, which only disappeared to reveal Heartless in their places.

"Here we go again!" Volt groaned, as everyone prepared for battle.

Quickly, HMK dashed into the crowd, slashing away the Heartless in his path, as Oswald joined him, leaping at all of the dark forces that stood before him. SoraAlam and VoltEditzz also joined in the battle, while Cynical tried to stand his ground against anything that came his way. Volt in particular scurried through the crowd, blasting off Thundaga on anything and everything around him. While conversely, HMK was spouting fire attacks in every other direction, managing to clear the dark menaces for a short time for him to come to Cynical's aid, as he was trying to dodge the swipes of the many Soldier Heartless.

SoraAlam, meanwhile, was stuck with Bolt Towers coming in from both sides. As he dodge rolled out of the way of their attacks, he tried to use a trick that Master Aqua had taught him some time ago. Quickly, he waved his Keyblade along the ground before he snapped it in front of him, which created a sheet of ice across his feet, which he began to slide across, away from his attackers, leaving his friends to dispose of them. As the Heartless numbers started to decrease, everyone turned their attention to the hooded man.

"Enough messing around!" HMK hollered, "It ends right now!"

Thus, the group then charged toward the figure, who only wore a smirk under his hood. "Indeed it does," He replied, as he simply held out his palm, which as soon as everyone leaped for the final blow, caused all five of them to be frozen in mid-air. Trying to get out of it was pointless, as not a single muscle in their body could be moved, until the figure flicked his wrist, causing everyone to fly back against the wall.

As everyone tried to huddle up against the wall, the figure slowly moved in toward them, with his hand possessing a small glowing dark blue orb. "Shame," He muttered, as he stood above the group, "And here I thought we could be friends."

But as soon as the figure raised his hand above his head, a small blast of light knocked him to the side. Adjusting himself to the attack, the figure was able to hear a small but powerful voice catch his ears. "That's enough!" He heard the voice command, as the figure looked to see King Mickey and Skyward Wing, both with their respective Keyblades drawn, and fierce expressions across their faces.

The figure grinned, "Ah, King Mickey. It has been a long time, old friend."

Mickey, caught off guard by this, questioned the mysterious figure. "Do I know you?" Mickey cautiously asked.

The figure snickered, as he collected himself off of the ground. "You did once. But that was a very long time ago." He explained, "Now, I'm nothing more than a remnant of what I used to be."

"A remnant?" Mickey repeated, confused at what this man was talking about, but Sky was not in the mood for an explanation.

"You are not welcome here!" He stated firmly, "Leave now before things have to get ugly."

"Ah, Such a powerful presence." The figure cooed, "And yet, a glimmer of fear is etched into your very soul." Sky silently gasped, seeing that this mystery person could see what he was feeling. But to Sky, it didn't matter anymore, as he blocked out what the cloaked man was saying.

"So what," Sky answered, "My fear may be strong, but it only drives me to do what's right. And so long as you're threatening that, I won't allow you in my sights!"

The figure was silent, but a smile grew on his face at Sky's words. "Very well. You have won this battle today." The figure answered, "But know this: our quarrel shall not end until our goal is reached."

"Goal?" Sky asked, "What goal?"

But the figure said nothing, as he simply turned to his side and summoned a corridor of darkness. "Until we meet again." The figure said, as he entered the corridor while it disappeared behind him.

As the dust settled, everyone tried to get themselves back to their feet. "Anybody want to explain what just happened?" Oswald asked, trying to bend his ears back into place.

"Either Lea is playing a really bad joke on us, or we just met the guy who sent our world into darkness." HMK stated, as he helped Cynical to his feet.

"Well, that makes our search a little less harder." Cynical remarked, as everyone agreed.

"I guess it's time you guys moved on, huh?" Mickey asked, to which Sky turned back to his friend, leaning down toward him.

"I guess so." Sky answered, before he humbled down, "Thank you, Mickey."

Mickey was confused, "What for?"

"For reminding me to keep fighting." Sky answered, "I'm not going to let my past drag me down. Not anymore."

Mickey smiled, seeing a small glimmer of light in his old friend. "Then I guess there's one thing left to do."

Mickey then turned around and pulled out Sky's satchel, from which he continued to reach into and pulled out Sky's white cap. As Mickey held it out to him, Sky looked back down at the hat. It had been far too long since he had worn it, and was surprised that it had not become worn out from sitting that satchel for so long.

After a smile crossed his face, Sky picked up the hat from Mickey's grip and held it in his hand, before he decided to put it on. As it slid on top of his head, he fastened it into place, before turning back to the group, who were now looking at him with awe.

Sky, now full of energy, let a large grin fall upon his face. "Well, boys, those worlds aren't going to save themselves!" Sky remarked as he turned back around, and at long last, ripped his large cloak from his body, revealing an entirely new outfit! Dressed in black jeans, red sneakers, and a red and white stripped t-shirt, Sky ripped a piece of grey material off of his robe, which he pulled over his shoulders into a hoodie, still bearing a grin.

"Time to get to work." He muttered, as he summoned his Keyblade and threw it out in front of him, summoning his Keyblade glider and flying off into the sky.

Everyone playfully groaned. "And he's off again," HMK groaned, as everyone rushed past Mickey, summoning their Keyblade gliders and chasing after Sky.

Looking up at the group flying off into the sky, Mickey smiled, knowing that there was indeed hope for whatever was about to come.

* * *

In a dark room in parts unknown, another man in a black coat sat alone, contemplating certain tasks in his mind. Their plans were nearing success in many ways, and yet their goal was still far out of reach. One extra important piece was missing, and they did not know how it would be resolved.

Just then, a corridor of darkness appeared behind him, as the cloaked man from Disney Castle walked out, stopping before his comrade.

"Any news?" He asked.

"It appears we have reached a snag." The figure commented, to which the cloaked man in the chair arose from his seat to face his fellow mysterious figure. "Five young Keyblade wielders are preparing to thwart our plans." He said with a hint of sarcasm, before snickering at the prospect.

The other cloaked figure, however, was not as calm as his visitor. "As if things could not get any worse." He groaned, "Now we need to worry about five other brats roaming around, messing with our-"

"Fear not, my friend," The figure responded, interrupting his comrade, "for I also bring good news."

"Like what?" The other cloaked figured responded, as his superior grinned under his hood.

"It appears we have found our little brother…"

* * *

**Oooooooh, brah, this just got realz!**

**But anyways, keeping this short again, that brings us to the end of this chapter! Until next time, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**


	9. Follow the Leader

**Hello everyone and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Sorry I haven't posted another chapter in a while. I have been very busy as of lately, what with holidays and what not. But hey, I'm back now, and I did say I would get another chapter out to you guys before The X-Keepers next stream, so hey, here ya go!**

**But, to get things moving along, we are now entering our first Disney world within The X-Keepers! If you guys want to know what other Disney worlds will be in the this story, you can check it out on The X-Keepers official Facebook page. But for now, take a look at this chapter and enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney **

* * *

CHAPTER 9

A coat of fog clouded the air as the four Keyblade gliders floated down toward what looked like a dock of sorts. As the gliders were dismissed, everyone took in the sights, as they tried to soak in where they were.

"Ok, I'll ask. Where are we?" Cynical asked, as Skyward Wing also took in their new surroundings.

"From the looks of it, the docks of Port Royal," Sky answered, breathing in the musky atmosphere, "A world filled to the brim with crooks, thieves…and pirates."

"Pirates?" VoltEditzz exclaimed, "Fascinating." He then proceeded to pull out a small navy blue booklet with a lightning bolt on it from his back pocket, as he started jotting down what he heard.

SoraAlam looked to what he was doing. "What's that?" He asked.

"Oh, this? It's my Electric Journal." Volt explained, "Whenever I'd visit new worlds, I'd usually take notes of what I see. And this is no exception. Ever since I was a kid, I've always wanted to be a pirate."

"You don't say?" SoraAlam remarked.

HMK wandered from the group as he noticed several wanted posters plastered across a nearby flight of stairs. "Hey guys, look at this." He called out, as the group wandered over to what he was looking at.

The faces of crooks and criminals of all sorts struck the faces of the group, but one in particular caught the eye of SoraAlam. "Jack Sparrow…" He muttered the pirate's name, "Sounds familiar."

"Oh, Jack?" Sky asked, "Yeah, from what I've heard, he's pretty popular around these parts...though not for the reasons that you'd think."

HMK kept his eyes on the picture of the pirate, fascinated. "Huh, cool." He muttered, while Cynical decided to speak up, steering the group back to why they were here.

"Alright, so what's the plan?" He asked, as Sky then turned around from the wall of posters to face the group.

"Well, I'd say the best way to gather info is if we split up," He answered, "ask around and see if anyone knows anything about our hooded man."

"Where should we start looking?" SoraAlam asked.

"You and St. Patrick check the docks," Sky answered, motioning to Cynical, who once again rolled his eyes at the nicknames Sky kept giving him, "See what the sailors around here know. You two," He motioned to HMK and VoltEditzz, "Check in town, maybe the authorities might have seen him. I'll get a higher view from above, see if I can spot him from the sky, if he's even here to begin with. Any questions?"

"I got one," HMK answered, "Who all of a sudden made you leader?"

Everyone then stopped and looked at Sky. HMK did have a point; why all of a sudden was Sky giving the orders? Deciding to humor his companion, Sky answered, "I didn't know we had to have one. But, if you're deciding to nominate me as such, I guess that can't hurt."

HMK clenched his fist, "That's not what I meant!" He stated, "Besides, who saying someone else can't be leader?"

"Who? You?" Sky asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe, who knows?" HMK answered, crossing his arms, "For all you know, I could make a great leader."

"Yes, I'm sure we're in good hands with someone who can't even control his own darkness." Sky shot, only for HMK to retaliate.

"Hey! Let's keep in mind; I'm the one who started this mission to begin with." He said.

"True, but do you have any knowledge of the worlds or where to even start looking?"

"Maybe I know more than you think! Did you ever think about that?" HMK barked, as the two were now glaring into each other's eyes, the true embodiment of light and darkness staring each other down, until a third voice entered the fray once again.

"Guys!" SoraAlam snapped the two out of it, "The more you two bicker, the less time we have to learn about what's going on."

The two's tense stances dropped slightly, but HMK still had enough of Sky's cockiness for the time being. Thus, with a small wave and a scoff, HMK turned and walked the other direction. "I need to clear my head." He grunted, as he continued to stomp away into town. While the others were hoping he'd help, it was clear that he needed some time alone.

Turning his attention back to the task at hand, Sky summoned his Keyblade, turning it into its glider form, as he turned to the group. "Meet back here once you've found anything." He stated, as he propelled himself into the air, and flew off into the sky above.

SoraAlam, nodding to Cynical, decided that they should start investigating as well, as they began to head toward the docks.

The only one left in the group was VoltEditzz, who stood there contemplating what to do. This sudden outburst must have been what Dispatch was talking about when she said that HMK had a lot of darkness within him that needed to be controlled, and that he needed to be watched. After a few minutes of thinking it over, he decided it would be best if he kept a close eye on HMK, should he decide to do something brash while they were there. Besides, who knows what kind of trouble he could get into while the group was here?

Thus, he pulled his hood closer over his head and departed into town, hoping HMK hadn't gone too far.

* * *

All of the grumbling in the world couldn't substitute what was going through HMK's mind. Sky was really starting to get on his nerves more than usual. So he had a little bit of trouble controlling the darkness within him, it's not like it was causing the rest of the group any trouble. He understood that Sky had a troubled background when it came to the darkness, but that doesn't mean he needed to be so cocky to get over it.

Kicking a tin can farther down the alley in which he was walking in, HMK stopped at a step to sit down and take a breather. Lea always told him that his darkness was something that could be easily controlled, and yet it felt like it was beginning to take over most of his life.

As he hung his head with a groan, HMK sat puzzled. "What am I going to do?" He muttered silently to himself.

"I say embrace it." said a dark, booming voice, as HMK jolted up, looking for the owner of the voice.

"Who's there?" He demanded, staying alert.

"Someone like you," The voice muttered, as a corridor of darkness appeared behind HMK. "Someone from the dark." The voice spoke again, as the corridor dismissed to reveal a man in a black coat.

"You!" HMK was quick to summon his Keyblade, as he bolted toward the figure, who merely sidestepped HMK's attack.

"You're in no position to be starting a brawl, boy." The figure warned, as HMK, breathing heavy, turned back toward the figure with a glare in his eye.

"Wanna bet?!" He cried, as he continued to slash at the figure, who only continued to dodge his attacks with minimal effort. It also didn't help that HMK was making a mess of the alley in which they fought, while the ruckus itself became quite loud.

As the brawl continued to wage on, two royal guards caught notice of their fighting, to which the man in the black coat grinned at.

"Looks like I played my part," The figure said, only making HMK more confused. Decided to ignore the man's rambling, HMK attempted to attack him once more. However, the figure merely sidestepped his attack, and quickly shot off a small zap of darkness toward the two guards when they weren't looking, striking one of them in the back.

With a yelp, the guard turned around just as the hooded man summoned a corridor of darkness, which he ran through as it closed behind him, leaving the guards to see HMK alone in the now devastated alley. Looking from the mess to HMK, to the strange weapon he was holding in his hand, the guards pieced together what happened, and what needed to be done. Thus, marching over toward the young Keyblade wielder, the guards armed themselves.

"Oi! You! What do you think you're doing?" They called out, which caught HMK by surprise. Looking around at what happened, he too realized what this meant.

"No, no, you've got it all wrong! It was that other guy, he made me do this!" He tried to defend himself, but the guards were having none of it.

"Nice try, young fella, but you're not getting past us with that one." One of the guards said, as the other one leaned over toward his partner.

"You know," He started asking, "From his get up and sword, do you think he is a cohort of…?"

"You know, I was just thinking the same thing." The guard reassured, as they both looked at the very confused HMK.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, but the guards simply pulled out a pair of shackles.

"Don't worry son," The guards reassured, "You'll get your answers…in court!"

"WHAT?!" HMK cried out, as the guards attempted to arrest him, though the hectic one began to squirm and shake everywhere to get the guards off of him. "Let go of me! I'm innocent!" He yelled again, as the guards tried to contain him, but to no avail.

Thus, to make things simpler, the one of the guards raised the butt of his firearm, and everything went black for HMK.

* * *

SoraAlam was tired. All of this searching was going nowhere, as no one in town seemed to spill any leads. The only thing that he and Cynical were able to learn was that this Jack Sparrow fellow that they had heard about earlier was looking for a crew for some expedition or something. The thought of this Sparrow person kept sounding familiar to SoraAlam, but at the same time, he didn't know why. This was the first time he had heard of him, so why did it feel like he already knew this person?

His thoughts were cut short as both he and Cynical noticed Skyward Wing floating down from the skies, transforming his glider back into its Keyblade form before dismissing it altogether, as he approached the duo.

"Did you guys find anything?" He asked, only for SoraAlam and Cynical to hang their heads with a sigh.

"Nope, not a thing," SoraAlam answered, "It looks like our mysterious figure isn't here."

Sky groaned, "Well, I guess we better keep moving then. Otherwise, we'll end up losing his trail."

As Sky turned to leave, SoraAlam was quick to bring up the obvious, "Wait, what about HMK? We can't just leave him here."

Sky stopped in his tracks with a sigh, "Why? He's CLEARLY shown that he can take care of himself." He muttered, waving off the subject.

SoraAlam groaned at Sky arrogance, only for Cynical to present another point. "Uh, SoraAlam, we're also missing another head." He said.

SoraAlam's eyes widened, "Volt!" He realized. "He's also missing too."

Sky was confused, "Wait, I thought he went with you guys when Grumpy took off."

"No, I don't know where he went!" SoraAlam answered.

"Now we have to stay. Otherwise, who knows what might happen to them," Cynical said, to which SoraAlam nodded.

Sky looked at his comrades, before letting out a very loud and annoyed groan. "Ugh, fine! We'll split up and search for them." Sky finally let out, "Let me know if you find them." Thus, transforming his Keyblade back into its glider form, Sky flew off, leaving SoraAlam and Cynical with their new task.

"So, basically, it's our original task, just new people to look for." Cynical stated aloud.

"Pretty much," SoraAlam shrugged, as the two began to get on their way looking for their friends.

They just hoped nothing bad had happened to them.

* * *

It was dark. HMK could barely see anything, though he could feel himself being pulled toward something. He could, however, hear lots of chatter, though he was still out of it to know what exactly was being said. Quickly, a bright light was shone on his face, as it felt like a bag of sorts was being pulled from his head. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he finally caught a glimpse of where he was: a courthouse!

Looking down at the shackles clasped on his wrists, HMK looked around to see the courtroom packed with people looking straight at him, most of them being glares. However, as HMK looked ahead, he noticed a judge across from him, wearing what looked like a grin.

"Now," He droned, with a smile, "What do we have here?"

HMK was puzzled by the judge for some reason. Something about him just didn't seem right. As all eyes still remained on him, HMK tried to begin his opening statement.

"Listen, this is just some kind of mistake." He started, before the guard behind him wacked him across the head, causing the crowd to cheer with excitement.

The judge kept calm. "Not necessary." He said to the guard, before turning his attention back to HMK, "You were saying?"

HMK, knowing what kind of situation he was in now, knew he had to play by the rules if wanted to get out of here. "Your honor," He started again, "please understand that this is a misunderstanding and that I am innocent."

The crowd laughed as the judge looked over his notes. "Is that so?" He responded, "According to the royal guards, they have identified you as a co-conspirator of one Captain Jack Sparrow, to which you are hereby denying, correct?"

"Of course I'm denying it," HMK answered, "I've never met him, let alone 'conspired' with him."

"I see." The judge looked to his other foremen, "Gentlemen, under what penalty do you find our defendant?"

Everyone unanimously stated, "Guilty."

The crowd roared, as HMK pleaded, "That's not fair!"

"Shut it!" The judge blandly exclaimed, as the crowd died down. "Young man, it has been confirmed that the crime you are found guilty of…is being innocent of being a cohort of Captain Jack Sparrow."

HMK's eyes lit up, yet was somewhat confused. "Therefore I commute your original sentence of death," The judge went on, "And instead sentence you to prison for the rest of your miserable mangy mutton-chop life."

The crowd immediately started booing and hissing toward the judge, who merely wore a simple smile across his face. HMK, though glad he wasn't sentenced to death, was still taken aback by the fact that he would be spending life in prison. However, something more was bothering him. What exactly was with that judge? It almost like he wanted him to have this sentence from the beginning. But that left another question: why?

* * *

After being pulled through hallways and hallways, HMK finally saw daylight again, as he made his way toward what looked like a prison coach, only to be pulled into its back by a hulking guard. Trying to get back to his feet the best he could, while trying to ease himself from having his shackles released finally, he sat down to see another prisoner be pulled in with him, as the guard slammed the door closed. Shaking some sense into his head, he felt the carriage beginning to move, as the other prisoner started to come to his feet, as he also sat down.

He was a tad taller than HMK, but the two almost did look alike, though his hair was much longer, and he wore a three-pointed hat.

"You alright, mate?" The prisoner asked, as HMK looked outside the carriage.

"I've had worse days." HMK responded, "Just can't fathom how exactly I got into this mess anyway."

"Well, I'd say your predicament is quite simple, mate." The prisoner remarked, "You crossed into the affairs of a pirate."

"What do you mean?" HMK asked, before he ended up getting a better look at the prisoner, and instantly recognized him.

"You!" HMK stated, "You're the judge who sent me here!"

The prisoner looked at his apparel, then back to HMK. "I don't believe to be wearing the attire of a judge," the prisoner stated aloud, "But to answer your question, yes, I did get you here, mate. But all to assist you in your grand escape."

"Why?" HMK asked, confused as to what this bizarre person was onto.

Then it final dawned on him, as he looked to see a familiar wanted poster that he had seen. The same wanted poster he saw when he entered this world. And to say this man's resemblance to this poster was uncanny would be an understatement to him. Finally, HMK realized who this man was.

"You're Jack Sparrow." he stated, to which the man grinned at HMK, with a twinkle in his golden tooth.

"Correction." He said, "It's CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow, mate. Savvy?"

* * *

**Ta-Da! Jack Sparrow, ladies and gentlemen! Isn't he something! **

**Anyway, we have arrived in our first Disney world, Port Royal, based on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. As to why I chose On Stranger Tides, I'll refer you to my previous updates on The X-Keepers Facebook page. Until then, just know that I am really looking forward to writing about this world.**

**Also, I have included VoltEditzz's Electric Journal in the story! Just thought it would be nice to include it as the X-Keepers' version of 'Jimminy's Journal' XD**

**But until then, that concludes this chapter! Till the next time we meet, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! **


	10. Politics and Pirates

**Hello everyone, and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Just in time for The X-Keepers PAX East trip, we continue on with our adventures in Port Royal, as more hijinks ensue and BIG stuff happens. But, we'll get to that in a sec...**

**In the meantime, lets just wrap up this little intro so we can get to the good stuff. Enjoy today's chapter!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney **

* * *

CHAPTER 10

VoltEditzz traversed through the streets, trying to find where HMK had gone. He had been walking for quite some time now, and had found no trace of him anywhere. He had really hoped that HMK hadn't gotten himself into trouble. A bad temper was one thing, but having a bad temper while harboring power over darkness? It just sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. Walking into one of the town squares, Volt looked around again, trying to find his friend, though still with no success.

The young Keyblade wielder groaned. "C'mon, where are you?" Volt muttered, as he laid eyes on the courthouse not that far from him. People were gathering around it quickly, meaning something must have been going on.

"Did you hear? They caught one of his cohorts!" Volt overheard someone say, "I hear he had some weird sword with him." That last part caught Volt's attention immediately. HMK must have got himself in trouble! Deciding to investigate, Volt made his way over toward the courthouse, just as some people were beginning to move away.

Finally, as Volt made it to the entrance, he saw HMK being pushed into a carriage, alongside another strange prisoner. Volt wanted to act as quickly as he could, but after noticing the large amount of guards surrounding the area, that didn't really sound like the best of options.

"I got to get him out of there." He muttered, before ducking into the alley behind him. Thus, Volt summoned his Jetpack and began to follow the carriage. Wherever it would lead him, he hoped he could get HMK to safety.

* * *

"I must tell you, mate, you did a lot better on that retched podium than most of the other blokes I've had to scurry out of there." Jack explained to HMK, as the young Keyblade wielder was dumbfounded from what he was hearing.

"Wait, you did that on purpose?" He questioned, "Then why am I being sent to prison?"

"Because you're not," Jack answered, pointing to the front of the carriage, "I paid off the driver. We're instead headed for port, that way you can find yourself a nice ship to take off with and leave before anyone even notices you're gone!"

HMK sighed relief, though was a bit hesitant. "Well in that case, I'm really thankful," He said, "But I'm actually with some friends. With any luck they're probably looking for me."

The hint of sorrow in HMK's voice caught Jack's attention. "You say that like it's a bad thing, mate." He said, to which HMK decided to fill his new acquaintance in on his troubles.

"Well, I recently had a bit of a fight with one of them, all because he thinks he should be leader over me."

"Ah fighting over position of Captain, I see," Jack said, pulling out a flask of water from his back pocket, "Well, I can tell you from personal experience, that never ends well, mate." Jack took a swig of his water, while HMK still gloomed across the carriage.

"You're telling me." He replied, "Now at this rate, we're never going to find that man in the black coat."

"Man in a black coat, you say?" Jack immediately turned his attention to HMK at this new revelation, "That sounds oddly familiar…"

HMK sat there, puzzled at Jack's reaction. "You've seen him before?" He asked the pirate, as Jack put away his flask to talk.

But before he could say anymore, the carriage came to a sudden halt, putting a grin across Jack's face. "Ah, we must've taken the shortcut." He exclaimed, as he and HMK headed for the exit to the carriage.

However, when the carriage had opened, the docks were nowhere in sight. Instead, barrages of rifles were held in front of them, with many angry royal guards pointing them at the duo. Both HMK and especially Jack were dumbfounded at what they were seeing. It had seemed that the driver Jack had paid off was being paid a little bit more from the opposing party.

Not sure what exactly to say, HMK whispered to Jack, "The docks wouldn't happen to be anywhere around here would they?"

Jack, still as a drunken pirate could be, simply responded, "…nope."

* * *

The halls and corridors of the royal palace were beautiful to say the least, but for now, that wasn't top priority for HMK to notice. As the sun shown bright through the windows, both he and Jack were dragged by their toes, a guard on either one of their arms, into what looked like a dining room. As they were continued to be dragged, the guards placed the duo in two separate chairs, side by side, and proceeded to shackle their hands and feet to the chairs.

As the guards exited, HMK looked to his the pirate beside him. "So, what grand scheme do you have for getting us out of here?" HMK asked.

Jack, meanwhile, was shaking his shackles quite loudly. "Quite difficult to say," He replied, "But we shouldn't be here much longer, mate, I guarantee you." Jack then continued to play around with his confinement, while HMK, annoyed, looked around the large room.

"What exactly did you do to get us here, Jack?" HMK asked. But before the pirate could answer, another voice entered the conversation.

"I'm afraid he did nothing, my dear boy." The voice said in a gentlemanly tone, as a corridor of darkness emitted from the centre of the room, where two figures in black coats entered the room, staring down HMK, whom identified one of them, who was hulking in stature to his companion, as the one who attacked him in the streets.

"In fact, most of this arrangement is because of you." The other figure spoke, as he raised a hand toward the hectic one, who only continued to look more confused as the conversation went on.

"I don't understand. Who are you people?" He demanded, as the man stepped back a bit.

"Oh, of course, where are my manners?" He said, as he went to pull his hood back, before his partner briefly stopped him.

"Are you sure we should be unmasking ourselves in front of these fools?" The man whispered in his low, booming voice, "What happens if this plan backfires?"

"Oh, come now, Kurai, we shouldn't be keeping our identities from brother. That would just be plain rude." The coat whispered back, as he continued to pull back his hood, as did his cohort with a heavy sigh.

Both appeared to have dark skin and golden eyes, while the larger man had a bald head and a black goatee, while the other man had a slicker hairstyle, which was coloured blue, as well as an earring on both ears resembling a Fleur-de-lis.

HMK looked at these two with great detail. He felt as though he had seen these two before, but he just couldn't figure out where.

"Now then, you asked who we are." The man then stepped forward with a small bow, "My name is Shinshi. You've met my cohort, Kurai." HMK looked past Shinshi at the large Kurai, who was mostly trying to avoid eye contact. "He's not much of a talker," Shinshi added.

"I beg to differ." HMK scoffed, as Jack decided to re-enter the conversation.

"Well, I'm sure you all have much to discuss, but if you would be so kind as to let me off and on my merry way, I will gladly let you all have your fun." The pirate said with a smile, only for Shinshi to let out a small laugh.

"I apologize, my friend." He replied, "But it seems an old acquaintance of yours hasn't had his opportunity to see with you."

Jack raised an eyebrow, confused. "Come again?" He asked, as Shinshi raised his hand toward the door behind him, which opened on command. From there, a figure could be seen through the door, as it began to step into the room. As the doors closed behind the figure, he stepped into the group with a bow, as Jack immediately recognized him.

"Apologize for my lateness, dear guests," The man greeted, "Other pressing matters had to be attended to."

"Nonsense," Shinshi replied, "If anything, you are right on schedule."

The man then continued to look upon Jack with a wicked smile. "Glad to see you again, Jack." He said, as the pirate smiled toward one of his own.

"Barbossa." Jack greeted, "Nice to see a fellow pirate make good of himself."

"Pirate? Nay. Privateer, on a sanctioned mission, under the authority and protection of the Crown." Barbossa chuckled, as Jack's former enemy pointed to the white wig placed atop of his head.

Jack simply shrugged, "As may be. First. What has become of my beloved Pearl?"

Barbossa then sighed, pointing to his wooden peg leg, "I lost the Pearl as I lost my leg!" He answered, "I defended her mightily enough, but she be sunk, nonetheless."

As Barbossa spoke, HMK noticed Jack becoming much angrier than he had ever seen him, as he was practically shaking in his seat. "You lost the Pearl?!" Jack growled, tugging at his shackles as he tried to lunge at Barbossa.

"The Pearl? What's that?" HMK asked, as Jack calmed down enough to explain.

"The Black Pearl. My ship, and prized possession, until someone stole from me." Jack glared at Barbossa, who only continued to retaliate.

"Under your command, the Pearl would have sunk ages ago, Jack," He spat, "Be lucky it had been afloat for as long as it has."

"That ship meant everything to me, Hector, and you knew that very well when you took mutiny against me." Jack argued back.

"The crew rallied behind me while you lounged in the gallows for all we knew." Barbossa shot back.

As the two continued to argue, HMK couldn't help but see something between the two pirates, as they bickered over who should have been captain. Kind of like how he and Sky argued over who should have been leader. Now after witnessing this, he knew that if one of them was leader, it would lead to the team's downfall, or worse. He couldn't let that happen if they were to get to the bottom of things.

During the argument, Shinshi and Kurai stood back, watching the feud take place, before Kurai decided that he had enough of this arguing. "Barbossa, this has gone on long enough!" Kurai boomed, "I believe we have other matters to attend to!"

Barbossa, snapping out of his rant, simply returned to his devilish grin. "That I believe you do." He said to the cloaked figures as he turned back to Jack one more time. "Jack, our sands be all but run. Where's the harm in joining the winning side?"

Jack, being a lot calmer than he has in a while, simply wore a blank expression across his face. "I understand everything," he said dully, "except for that hat."

Then, suddenly, and without warning, Jack snapped free from his shackles, and stood up in front of Barbossa, before tripping him off of his peg leg and onto the ground, pulling a pistol from Barbossa's pocket before he fell. Jack then turned and fired the pistol at HMK's shackles, collectively freeing him as well, before darting for the stairs, with Shinshi and Kurai not even bothering to go after him.

Barbossa, pulling himself up off of the ground, glared at the two figures. "What are you doing? You're letting him escape!" He asked, to which Shinshi scoffed, summoning a corridor of darkness behind Barbossa.

"Oh please, dear sir, it's not like he was the main objective." He simply waved off, as Kurai approached Barbossa from the side, and effectively pushed the former pirate through the corridor, as it disappeared in front of the duo.

HMK, pulling himself from the chair, stared at the two men, whom locked eyes with their captor. "Now, brother, there will be much for us to discuss, but if you come with us, all will be explained." Shinshi stated, as he held out a hand to HMK, whom only backed away in disgust.

"After you destroyed my home and almost tried to have me and my friends killed?" HMK responded, summoning his Keyblade, "Yeah, thanks but no thanks!"

Kurai scoffed, "Very well, then I guess you will not be leaving here alive." He said, as he threw a hand into the air, as both he and Shinshi disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke, replacing them with a small horde of Heartless in the room, surrounding HMK. Preparing for the incoming attacks, HMK raised his Keyblade to block the Heartless, unknowing that a silhouetted figure was flying toward the window behind him.

Finally, the figure smashed through the window, and immediately fired off shots of Thundaga in every direction, before landing beside HMK with his Keyblade posed out to the side, before dismissing it from his hand to look at his friend.

"Need a hand?" VoltEditzz remarked, as HMK dismissed his Keyblade.

"How did you find me?" He asked.

"Wasn't that hard, considering everyone in town has been talking about you." Volt explained, to which HMK rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I got to work on my incognito skills." He sheepishly remarked, as the two noticed more Heartless gathering into the room.

"We should probably get out of here." HMK said, to which Volt agreed.

"Which way?" Volt asked, as HMK looked around the room for an answer. Finally, remembering where Jack had gone off to, HMK pointed to the stairs.

"That way, c'mon!" He called out, as he and Volt darted for the stairs, evading the Heartless the best they could.

The two continued to trek throughout the castle, trying to find a way out, until they eventually came to a dead end, facing a window. "Great, now where do we go?" Volt asked.

"You didn't really think the 'escape' part of rescuing me through, did you?" HMK remarked.

"This is my first time, ok! I'm kinda making it up as I go!" Volt said in a panic, as the two looked around to find something to help them. It was by mere chance that HMK noticed that the window behind them could open, as he looked out at the street below, as carriages strolled along.

"Problem solved," HMK said, opening the window all the way, as Volt clicked in on his plan.

Together, the duo moved out onto the windowsill, as they tried to figure out their next step. As they looked around for more options, Volt looked back inside the building, only to see Shinshi and Kurai further down the hallway, glaring at him. Finally, Kurai fired off a massive blast of dark energy toward Volt, as he turned back to the ledge, as the blast flew past behind him and out above the street. However, the blast was powerful enough that it managed to catch both Volt and HMK off balance, as they both fell off the ledge, and began plummeting toward the ground.

But before the duo could land, they immediately caught themselves on an incoming carriage, landing on top of its roof. As they climbed to their feet, they noticed Kurai's darkness began to form into more hordes of Heartless, as they began to chase the carriage down the street.

"These guys just don't know when to quit do they?" Volt asked, out of breath.

"In most cases they never do!" The two Keyblade wielders whipped around at the sound of another voice, as HMK recognized the carriage driver as none other than the pirate he was captive with.

"Jack!" HMK exclaimed, as the elusive captain grinned at his new acquaintance.

"You might want to hold onto something, mate!" Jack responded, "This might be a rough getaway!"

Nodding to the pirate, HMK turned back to Volt, Keyblades now in hand, as the two tried to evade the incoming swarms of Heartless, as Jack steered the chase all across the town square.

* * *

"This is getting ridiculous!" Sky fumed, as SoraAlam and Cynical followed him down one of the alleys of town.

"You don't have to tell us twice." Cynical groaned, hoping that the nomad's complaining would subside soon.

"I mean, honestly, we've search this entire town and not once have we found any-"

Before Sky could finish his rant, a speeding carriage cut in front of where he was about to walk, as SoraAlam and Cynical joined him in noticing a massive swarm of Heartless chasing after said carriage.

"I take that back." Sky commented, as SoraAlam chimed in.

"Come on, we gotta go after them!" He said, as every sprinted down the street.

"Finally, some excitement!" Cynical cheered, as Sky and SoraAlam summoned their gliders, to which everyone boarded and blasted toward the chase.

* * *

Hoping from one moving carriage to the next, HMK and Volt hacked their way through the piles and piles of Heartless that poured onto the street, throwing everything they had at the enemy. Volt, landing back on Jack's carriage, shot off bolts of Thundaga in every direction, as the Heartless fell one by one. HMK, meanwhile, hung low on the carriage edges, as he burned the chasing Heartless to a crisp, as they attempted to close in on the Keyblade wielders.

"They just keep coming!" Volt exclaimed, as HMK joined him on top of the roof.

Jack, thinking of a way to help his new friends, spotted a carriage carrying coal, as an idea formed in his mind. Pulling his flintlock from his side, he aimed at a lantern hanging above the carriage and fired, setting all of the coals in the carriage on fire, and also causing them to fall out onto the streets, evaporating the Heartless until they had all cleared out. HMK and Volt both stared at amazement as well as sigh from relief, as Jack steered the carriage into a nearby alley.

As Jack tied the horse's straps to the carriage, Jack, as well as Volt and HMK, leaped from the carriage as it continued down the alley. Getting to their feet, the trio look back to see the new barricade they had created.

"Well, it seems we won't have any need for more squabbles now." Jack stated in his usual swagger, as Volt and HMK tried to catch their breaths.

"That, we can agree on." HMK sighed, as he and Volt heard a familiar voice calling out.

"Guys! Hey!" The duo looked to see SoraAlam, as well as Cynical and Skyward Wing, closing in on the two, as they dismissed their gliders as they approached the group.

"Are you guys ok?" Cynical asked.

"Eh, nothing we couldn't have handled." Volt shrugged, "How about you guys? Did you find anything helpful?"

"Nothing." SoraAlam replied, "Everywhere we looked we couldn't find anything."

"For all we know, he wasn't even here." Cynical sighed.

"Actually, he was." Everyone turned to see HMK with a hand raised, "And it wasn't just one person."

"There's more than one?" SoraAlam questioned, to which everyone stared attentively at HMK.

"I don't know how many more," HMK explained, "but whoever is causing trouble, they're not alone. And their probably not going to stop until we're all toast."

"Then it's high time we get a move on." Sky said, "The more people causing trouble means the more pain that's caused to others."

"Wait Sky," HMK called out to Sky, who stopped before he could go any further, "I actually want to apologize for earlier. I was a little out of line, and I don't think it's wise that we fight over something so unimportant."

Sky, taken aback by HMK's words, tried to think of how to reply. "Yeah, I guess I was a bit out of line too." He said back, "I just thought that we might need someone to be there for the team if anyone was to go down."

"Don't worry," HMK said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "We'll all be there for each other. From here on out, there's no leader amongst us. We're all equal." Everyone nodded accordingly, deciding that was the best course of action to go off of.

Inserting himself into the conversation, Jack swaggered beside the group. "Well, looks like you lot will have a lot on your hands, what with having to save the worlds and all." He said, making everyone do a double take.

"Wait, how do you know we're from another world?" SoraAlam questioned, to which Jack pointed to the group.

"After you've seen one Keyblade, mate, it's not that hard to figure out." He grinned, "After all, I managed to figure that out when I first met young Sora."

Everyone's jaws dropped at the name Jack just mentioned.

"You knew Sora?!" Sky gasped, as did everyone, as Jack went onto explain.

"Of course. Was a brave lad indeed, along with his other companions." He said, "Would have made a fine pirate one day, if I may say so myself."

Everyone was in awe. "You wouldn't have happened to know what happened to him, do you?" Cynical decided to ask.

Jack was about to explain, until he heard a whistle being blown in the distance. "Looks like that will have to wait for another time, lads." The pirate cursed, as moved past the group, heading for the opposite direction of the alley, before he turned back to face the group. "You all wouldn't happen to be in need of a ship, would you?" he asked.

"No, I think we'll be alright." Volt answered, as everyone knew that it was time for them to depart.

"Well then," Jack said with a small salute, "I bid you all adieu."

With a nod, the two parties separated, as the group prepared to move on to the next world. However, before he could summon his glider, HMK heard Jack call back out to him.

"Oi, glasses!" He heard, as HMK looked back to see Jack toss something his way. As he caught it in his hand, HMK looked at what looked like a small gold token, with a skull symbol melded into it.

"What's this for?" HMK asked, as Jack grinned through his golden tooth once again.

"Let it be known, that a pirate is never left unrewarded for his efforts, savvy?" Knowing what his new friend meant by this, HMK smiled, as saluted back to Jack, before taking off after his friends.

As the young Keyblade wielder flew off on his glider, Jack turned back to walk down the alley, while humming a little tune to himself, with a small smile across his face. "Drink up, me harties, yo-ho."

* * *

**[Cue He's a Pirate!]**

**And thus brings our visit to Port Royal to a close. However, that doesn't mean we won't encounter other worlds including pirates...but, that's all I'll say on that matter...**

**Also, of course I can't go any further without mentioning the introduction of two of our villains, Shinshi and Kurai. There is of course more to these two than appears, but we'll burn that bridge when we get to it. And just to give you guys an idea of what their voices might sound like, here is a small cast list for our villains:**

**? - ?**

**Shinshi - Maurice LaMarche (Calculon [Futurama])**

**? - ?**

**Kurai - Clancy Brown (Lex Luthor [Superman TAS])**

**? - ?**

**? - ?**

**But wait? What's with the four blank spots? Oh, we'll get those soon enough...**

**But until then, that concludes this chapter. Until next time, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**


	11. Mischievious Detour

**Hello everyone and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Sorry for the delay on this one. I've been devoting a lot more of my time to my stuff on YouTube at the moment. But that doesn't mean I'm not working on stuff for here either. Besides, some big stuff is being developed right now, I don't wanna back out on it at this point!**

**Oh well, let's jump into today's chapter, as we begin something you guys might flame me for, but, hey, we'll just have to wait and see. Enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney **

* * *

CHAPTER 11

The third district was quiet, not a peep to be heard from any corner.

It was lonely, but Dispatch liked the opportunity to be by herself for a little bit. She stood across from the fountain, as she looked at the portrait of two dogs, one a well groom female, and another scruff looking male, which obviously appeared to be in love.

Dispatch looked on at the portrait, as she caught herself sighing at the sight. For some reason, she just couldn't stop thinking about HMK, and whether or not he was ok. His darkness had become a massive roadblock in his life, and she had to witness him go through those dark times with having no control over it. Her only hope now was that he was well on his way to conquering it, and then he would be free from it forever.

Then maybe, just maybe, they might be able to live a normal life together.

"Ah, the joyous signs of love…"

Dispatch's trance was immediately cut short at the sound of the new voice. She whipped around to look for who said it, but no one appeared.

"Who's there!" she called out, only for her answer to appear not too far from her. Dispatch looked in front of her to see a corridor of darkness appear, and from it, a figure emerged.

He was dressed from head to toe in golden armor, as well as dark green tunics, all covered by a green trench coat. She looked upon the figure's devilish smile, with his long black hair slicked back, as he also held a short golden staff in his hand that emitted a bright blue glow from its tip.

Dispatch held her ground as the figure swayed in her direction.

"I believe my reputation has not reached this far into the worlds yet." He said, as he looked around the district, before turning back to Dispatch. "But, to answer your question, my dear, I am but a messenger for a grander scheme."

He then took a mighty stance as he introduced himself, "I am Loki, of Asgard. And I am blessed with glorious purpose."

Dispatch, not entirely familiar with the name, doesn't back down. "What are you doing here?" She asked sternly, as Loki continued to smirk.

"Rather eager to speed things along." He quipped, "I would've predicted such from someone who has been exposed to the Keyblade."

Dispatch's eyes widened. "How do you know about the Keyblade?" She questioned.

"Why, I've seen it preform." The mischievous god continued to spew, "I've witnessed the powers is possesses. Both light and darkness, swimming through its wielders with such grace. It's quite remarkable, as I'm sure you know doubt understand."

Dispatch shook her head, realizing that she was getting nowhere with this. "I understand plenty." She spat, "I also understand that you haven't told me what I want to know."

Loki nodded, "Very well. There are dark forces at work; much more powerful than I or any other being in these realms. What they seek, I am not aware," Loki then pointed his scepter at the young mage. "But I do know that it involves tearing your friends apart from one another."

Dispatch's stance tightened at the mention of her friends. "What do you know about my friends?" She whispered, as the God got closer to her.

"I know that they are searching the worlds for answers." He continued to gloat, "And I know that once they find those answers, it will destroy them. And the one that will suffer the most from these revelations…will be the dark one that you love oh so very much."

Out of nowhere, Dispatch swung her fist toward Loki, who disappeared in thin air. "Liar!" She screamed, as Loki appeared far behind her.

"Really?" Loki asked innocently, as Dispatch turned around, glaring the mischievous monster who taunted her, "Then why don't you see for yourself."

Then, without warning, a dark green cloud of smoke emitted from the ground, as Dispatch stopped in her tracks to look at everything around her disappearing. As she looked back to see Loki grinning once again, Dispatch raised her arms to cover her face, as everything suddenly was suddenly dark.

* * *

As the group continued to ride through the lanes between, HMK looked over to see VoltEditzz looking off into the vast distance. Aside from their encounter in the last world, they never really got the chance to interact. Thus, deciding to make conversation, the hectic one rode his glider over to his companion.

"Hey," He called out, to which Volt subtly nodded back to him. "I never got the chance to thank you back there. You really had my back."

Volt smiled back. "Don't mention it." He replied, "Just looking out for a fellow Keyblade wielder."

"Right," HMK smiled back, thinking about what to talk about next, as the silence lasted for a little bit.

HMK then spoke again, "So, you wield the darkness too, huh?"

Volt, caught by surprise at first, simply shrugged it off. "Yep," He replied, "Been with me for a while. It took me a bit, but I did manage to get a good grasp on controlling it."

"You don't say" HMK perked up a bit, deciding to act on this new revelation. "Then, maybe you wouldn't mind helping me control my own, would you?" He asked, before shrugging off, "Y'know, if you want to I guess."

Volt, though hesitant at first, smiled at his new friend. This may be just the thing to keep his promise to Dispatch and keep an eye on HMK. Thus, he modestly answered back to his friend, "I wouldn't mind at all."

HMK, relieved by the answer, smiled, "Thanks."

Volt laughed a bit, "Don't men-"

Before Volt could reply back, a faint sound appeared in his head. He didn't know where it was coming from, but it was there, and it was calling him somewhere.

As his friend's mind wandered, HMK tried to get his attention. "Yo, Volt, you ok, man?" He said, to which Volt dropped out of his trance for a second.

Looking around, Volt regained his composure. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He muttered, "I just, uh…"

By this point, the others had looked over to see what was going on. "Hey, you guys alright?" SoraAlam asked, as he and Cynical floated over toward the two.

Volt, trying to shake the voices, noticed another world off in the distance, with the voice in his head pointing him in that direction.

Looking back to his friends, Volt quickly steered his jetpack in the new direction, "I know a place for us to look," he explained, "C'mon, this way!" Volt then jetted off toward the world, as everyone, though confused as to what got into their friend all of a sudden, decided to give chase to where Volt was leading them.

* * *

The orange skies continued to glow over the clock tower as four Keyblade gliders entered the world's border.

Landing in the plaza in front of the tower, everyone dismissed their gliders, as Volt scanned the area. He looked around the world, yet noticed that the voice in his head had all but ceased.

Standing there confused, Volt scratched his head. "Weird…I thought…" He stood puzzled, as his team stood just as confused.

"You sure you're ok, Volt?" SoraAlam asked again, to which Volt decided to just shake his head.

"I guess I must've just been hearing things." He said, as everyone else looked around at the world they were in.

"Huh, Twilight Town," Sky muttered, as he walked to the front of the group, "Haven't been here in a while. I actually might want to take a look around and see what's new."

SoraAlam and Cynical piped up at this decision. "Yeah. Would be nice to take our mind off the mission for just a little bit." Cynical said, as SoraAlam too thought it would be nice to take a breather.

Sky looked to HMK, who had walked over to Volt. "How about you guys? You wanna come with?"

HMK was about to answer, before Volt piped up, "We'll catch up with you guys in a bit."

Sky simply shrugged. "Suit yourself." He said, "We'll just be in the Market if you decide to come find us." Thus, he, SoraAlam and Cynical departed into town, leaving their friends behind in the plaza.

Volt then turned to HMK, "C'mon, follow me." He led the hectic one to what looked like a tunnel beside the tower, with its gate pulled down. Volt, approaching the bars, reached under to lift the gate up and out of the way, leaving the way clear for Volt to lead HMK into the tunnel.

"Where does this lead?" HMK asked, as he followed Volt into the tunnel.

"It's an old underground concourse," Volt explained, "It's an easy gateway through the town. The restoration committee showed it to my a few times when we were here on patrol."

The duo then rounded the corner as the found a large open area, as Volt led HMK into the middle of it. "This looks like a good place." Volt said.

"For what?" HMK asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you said you needed help with controlling your darkness. I thought this could be an opportune time to get started."

HMK brightened up at this, as he nodded understandingly to his friend. Thus, the duo sat in the large area, as HMK explained his situation. "I don't know what it is, but just, every time I feel like I get a sense of power, it just…seeps out. No warning, no nothing. And it freaks me out every time it happens. It makes me afraid that I'm going to hurt someone close to me."

"Dispatch?" HMK looked up at Volt, surprised by his answer, but noticed his friend's eyebrow curve, knowing there was no way around it.

Thus, HMK just nodded, as Volt took in his friend's explanation. "I understand that." He replied, "When I first discovered my darkness, I too thought I was going to succumb to it. Hurt people I care about. But in the end, something just struck a chord with me, and I was able to let go of all the worrying."

"Well, what was it that helped you?" HMK asked.

"I don't-"

Quickly, Volt grasped his head in pain. Dark visions began to over pour into his mind, as a fiery picture glared into his thoughts.

HMK rose in a panic as to what was happening. "Volt! Are you ok?!" He asked, as Volt staggered away from his friend, while summoning Electric Bond in his hand.

"What is…? Get out!" Volt screamed aloud, as he swung his Keyblade at the air, while HMK ducked away from his friend, who only looked at him with panic. "Stay…away…" Volt huffed, as he scurried away into the opposite tunnel, leaving HMK alone, confused, and above all, scared.

"Volt…what's gotten into you?" He muttered, as he rushed back into the tunnels to go find the others.

* * *

**Volt's got some demons to fight it seems. What (or should I say WHO) are these demons? We'll just have to wait and see...**

**Ok, let's talk about that opening...C'mon guys of all the Marvel properties, I cannot stress enough that Loki is absolutely PERFECT for Kingdom Hearts! He's like if Maleficent was just as smart as Xehanort, and just as badass! But regardless, his role will be explained soon enough so stay tuned for that.**

**And I'd say that's about it! Until the next chapter, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**


	12. Visions of an Angel

**Hello everyone, and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Well, last time was pretty heated, as Volt seemed to be having some personal matters to deal with. Well, now it's time to bring those matters to light, in quite possibly one of my favourite chapters up to this point!**

**But with that said, I do have some stuff I want to address at the end of this chapter, so be sure to stick around for that, because it's pretty important. ****But we'll get to that eventually. For now, let's move onto the newest chapter! Enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney **

* * *

CHAPTER 12

SoraAlam stood to the side of the lamppost as he watched the people of the Market Street's Station Heights walk about their daily lives, shopping for numerous items, or just conversing about their days.

Though it was nice seeing all of the peaceful faces, something just didn't feel right. It felt like he had seen all of these faces before, though he has never been outside of his home. It was all feeling familiar, but why?

It kept reminding him of the dreams he had been having of the Keyblade War. He wondered if there might be some connection. But if there was, what would it be?

As he contemplated, Skyward Wing appeared around the corner, carrying an absurd amount of items. "Ok, they didn't have any Hi-Potions, but I did manage to get some regular Potions and some Ethers." He started listing off, as he shifted his inventory to the side beside his friend, while shoving some of the items into his satchel. "I also got us a Tent. I know we probably might not need it, but hey, they were selling it, so I thought I might as well grab one just in case."

As he stuffed his bag, Sky looked over to see SoraAlam in deep thought, and wonder what his friend was thinking about. He waved his hand in front of his friend, trying to get his attention. "Hello? SoraAlam? Anyone home?"

SoraAlam quickly blinked at his friend's action. "Huh, what?" He stuttered, as Sky rolled his eyes.

"Sheesh, first Volt, now you?" He asked, "What is it with people zoning out recently?"

SoraAlam shook his head, "Sorry, I just…something just feels off is all."

"Off how?" Sky asked nonchalantly, as he continued sorting through his stash.

"I don't know, like…I've seen all of this before." SoraAlam answered the best he could.

"Kay then, simple, you've been to this world before." Sky tried to follow, but SoraAlam sighed,

"No, that's the thing." He explained, "I've never been to this world, or any of the other ones we've been to, but for some reason there's this part of me that sees it all as…familiar."

Now interested in his friend's words, Sky stopped his stuffing and turned his attention to the young Keyblade wielder, concerned. "And this has been happening for how long?" He asked.

"I've just been feeling it recently, ever since we've started this whole quest." SoraAlam answered, "Though before this…I have been having these weird dreams…about the Keyblade War."

Sky's eyes widened. "The Keyblade War?" He questioned, "Why that of all things?"

"I…I don't know." SoraAlam shrugged, as Sky scratched his chin.

"Interesting…" Sky mumbled.

Before he could question his friend any further on the matter, a very excited Cynical came running toward the two. "Yo, guys!" He called out, to which his friends turned to see him approaching with a big grin on his face.

"Cynical, what's up?" SoraAlam asked his ecstatic friend.

"Dude, there was this synthesis shop down at the Tram Common!" Cynical happily explained, "I found some items, and the Moogles there help me synthesize THIS!"

Cynical then held up his wrist to show his friends his new item: a wristband. It was coloured a shade of green, though it was lined with pitch black chrome, with three letters embedded on its side.

"MLG?" Sky questioned, "What does that stand for?"

Cynical was about to answer, before he paused to think. "I actually don't know, now that you mention it." He instead answered, looking back at it, "But anyway, that's not the cool part. Check it out!"

Cynical then clenched his fist, and before their eyes, Sky and SoraAlam watched a large metal plate form around the side of Cynical's arm, before eventually forming a green and black shield.

"Whoa!" SoraAlam exclaimed, as Sky too stared at his friend's new weapon.

"You like it?" Cynical asked, as he showed his new toy, "They called it the 'Emerald Pride'. Pretty cool huh?"

"I'll say." Sky answered, "From what I've heard those are pretty rare nowadays. You're lucky to be even seeing one, let alone using it."

Cynical looked back at the shield, now even more interested. "Really?" He asked, "That's sweet."

"Guys!" Before the trio had any more time to be complementing Cynical's new weapon, they turned around to see an out of breath HMK sprinting toward them, and from the tone in his voice, it sounded like something was up.

"HMK, what's wrong?" SoraAlam asked, as the hectic one tried to catch his breath.

"It's Volt. I don't know what happened to him." He tried to explain, "We were training in the underground concourse, and then all of a sudden he was in pain, like he was losing his mind or something."

"Well, where is he now?" Cynical asked.

"I don't know," HMK answered, "he ran out the main tunnel before I tried to come and find you guys."

"Sunset Terrance." Sky explained, "I've been in those tunnels before, that's the only other place the main tunnel leads. If we catch the train now, we should be able to make it there in time to find him."

"Then let's get going!" SoraAlam exclaimed, as the group darted for the Train station, hoping their friend was still ok.

* * *

Sunset Hill was quiet, which allowed VoltEditzz to sit and meditate, He breathed slowly, as he tried to come to grips with what was going on with him.

"I am in control." He exhaled, letting his power attempt to flow.

"I will not submit." He continued to silently chant, before a hint of sadness began to seep from him.

"I will not hurt anyone…NGH!" Volt immediately twitched, jerking his hands onto his head, before loosening his stance and breathing hard.

"_Don't pretend you're sad…_" Volt heard a voice in his head calmly speak, "_Why tremble with anger that's not even there?_"

Volt, catching his breath, stared in shock. "You," He gasped.

"_Is it really that hard to believe?_" He heard the voice say, "_You know this more than anyone._"

"I won't let you do this." Volt said sternly.

"_Do you want to know why the Keyblade chose you?_" The voice asked, causing Volt to stop in his tracks, "_The darkness you hold in your heart is far too powerful. It needed a lock on it from growing too wide._"

"That's not true!" Volt growled, but the voice snickered back.

"_But is it?_" It replied, "_Face it, Volt. All you are…is an empty puppet._"

Volt, feeling the voice wither away, clenched his fists. The voice did have a point; if he kept pushing it away, then the darkness was going to overrun him, and knowing what the group was up against, he couldn't let that happened. He knew that instead of pushing the darkness away, he had to face it head on. As he sat in thought, Volt looked to see his friends rounding the corner, and headed straight for him.

"Volt!" HMK called out, as the four approached the young Keyblade wielder.

"We heard about what happened," SoraAlam added, "Are you ok?"

Volt was about to answer, but ultimately hung his head with a sigh, "No, I wasn't" He admitted, "I didn't have as good of a hold on my darkness as I thought."

"Why? What exactly happened?" Sky asked.

"Let's just say, something from my past is trying to haunt me." Volt explained, "Trying to convince me that the darkness is going to take over. I can't let him get to me."

"Who?" Cynical asked, wearily, but Volt was reluctant to answer.

"It doesn't matter," He said, as he got to his feet, "All I know is that I've got a score to settle."

HMK placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, Volt." He reassured, "You won't have to do it alone."

Volt rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, I'm kinda going to have to." He explained, "It'll make sense later."

HMK, though a bit confused, nodded in understanding, as did everyone else. "Ok then," He said, "Lead the way."

Volt nodded back, determination flashing across his face, as he walked ot the front of the group, leading them back down the hill. Whatever happened next, he knew that this had to end now.

It was high time he conquered his darkness.

* * *

The Station Plaza was empty when the group exited the Train Station, as they all looked around to see no one in sight.

"You sure you want to do this, Volt?" SoraAlam asked, turning to his friend.

"It's something I have to do." Volt reassured, as he took a deep breath and walked down the staircase. He stopped before he reached the middle of the plaza, before he called out into the open.

"I'm not going to be afraid of this anymore." He called, before he silently growled, "Now come out."

Then suddenly, the shadow cast behind Volt began to stream out darkness above in front of him, before forming around into a ball. Then suddenly, it erupted into a flash of light, before it died to reveal a figure floating down to the ground.

He was a tall man, dressed head to toe in black, with the flaps of his trench coat curved out to the side, and lined with a blood red colour. But the most distinguished feature about this man was that of his long silver hair and lone black wing on his back.

The group stared in awe, "No way…" Sky gasped, as they watched the man approach Volt with a sinister smile.

"Good to see you…Volt." He said, as Volt still managed to stand tall as he uttered the man's name.

"Sephiroth." He grumbled, as the one winged angel continued to smirk.

"I'll admit I'm quite impressed." He said, "Where ever did you find this strength?"

Quickly, Volt summoned Electric Bond into his hand, assuming his battle stance. "Like I'm about to tell you!" He spat, to which Sephiroth simply snickered at.

"Why even bother with this nonsense?" He asked, "Even your own mentor couldn't keep the dark in check. What makes you think this little endeavor will change things?"

Volt loosened his stance, understanding his opponent's words, but then turned back to see the confident faces of his friends, urging him to go on. "Because this time, I'm not alone," Volt said, turning back to the swordsman, "Not anymore."

Sephiroth, grinning at Volt's words, held his hand out to the side, summoning his large Masamune into his hand. "Very well then. If that's the way you want it, then please, show me your strength."

"With pleasure." Quickly and without any hesitation, Volt flew toward Sephiroth, ready to strike him down where he stood. Sephiroth, however, simply snickered, and teleported out of sight before Volt could even hit him.

Surprised, Volt looked every which way for his foe, but saw no trace of him left. But then, before he could react, Sephiroth appeared beside Volt, and with one quick slash, sent Volt flying out of the plaza.

"Volt!" SoraAlam cried out as the group watched in horror as Sephiroth chased after the young boy.

* * *

**(A/N: Cue One Winged Angel for dramatic effect!)**

Volt flew through the air in an absurd amount of pain, before slamming down onto the ground, rolling a few times before coming to a stop. Trying to pick himself up, Volt saw that Sephiroth had launched him all the way down to the Tram Common! He noticed this because he saw a tram coming around the corner.

Propelling himself back up, Volt bounced off of the nearby walls to get his momentum back before landing on top of the tram. As he continued to run down the tram, he looked on to see Sephiroth floating quickly down toward him, ready to give another devastating swipe. Thinking quickly, Volt slid along the tram's roof, dodging Sephiroth's attack, before he slid completely off the tram and onto the ground, skidding his feet to a stop. Turning back, Volt made a dash for his opponent, while Sephiroth looked back, unfazed.

"Hmph. Give into the dark." He stated, as he threw out several dark balls in Volt's path. Volt, however, leapt up to the side of the wall beside him, before running around the U shaped crevice in his path, dodging the exploding balls. Finally, he leapt from the wall to attack Sephiroth, who was at a standstill at the end of the crevice. The two locked blades, before slashing repeatedly at each other, though not a single one landing an actual attack. Volt, still mid-air, manages to slash Sephiroth away, only to lock blades with him again.

"On your knees," Sephiroth taunted, "I want you to beg for forgiveness." Quickly, Sephiroth jerked Volt away before raising a hand in the air.

"Perish!" The soldier exclaimed, before summoning massive pillars of fire, which once again sent Volt flying back into one of the buildings. As he used his Keyblade to stick to the side, Volt watched as Sephiroth graciously floated toward him, with Volt dreading what he was going to do next.

Finally, Sephiroth uttered, "Descend…Heartless Angel."

"Oh no." Volt groaned, as a halo appeared around his head, before he plummeted to the ground.

Feeling a sense of weakness, Volt looked up to see Sephiroth looking more threating with every passing minute. Knowing that he was outmatched right now, he darted for the nearest exit, as Sephiroth continued to chase him.

Amidst the chase, the group followed the fight down to the Tram Common, only for the fight to speed right past them.

"I guess it's back up we go." HMK groaned sarcastically.

"Come on!" SoraAlam waved them on, as they all chased after their friend.

* * *

Bouncing off of every which wall that was in front of him, Volt dashed through the Station Heights, with Sephiroth hot on his tracks. The two clashed blades every so often, but the young Keyblade wielder still kept hurrying away from his attacker.

"I've thought of a wonderful present for you…" Volt heard Sephiroth say, as he chased the one winged angel into a back alley, only to be met with a dead end. Turning around, he saw Sephiroth's sword ready to impale him, as he leapt out of the way just in time for Sephiroth's blade to stick into the wall.

Sephiroth, however, only continued to grin. "…Shall I give you despair?" He finally asked, but Volt was having none of it. Quickly, he attempted to slash at Sephiroth, but the soldier, quickly pulled his blade back out of the wall to block Volt's attack, quickly spinning around to swipe at Volt, who began to fly back and down the stairs towards the sandlot.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, Volt tried to ease himself back up off the ground, though the damage he suffered was pretty substantial. Before he had any time to catch his breath, however, Sephiroth appeared once again, hacking and slashing every which way. Volt tried his very hardest to defend himself, but the attacks were just coming far too quickly. Thus, trying to break his opponent's momentum, Volt leapt up toward Sephiroth, ready to throw him off guard.

However, still using his fluid momentum, Sephiroth simply turned his blade and impaled Volt straight through the side of his chest, causing the young boy to scream out in agony.

By this time, the group had appeared once again, and saw the terrible view in front of them. "Volt!" HMK cried out, as he and the others tried to bolt for Sephiroth, only for the soldier to simply throw up a shield in front of the group, preventing them from getting through.

Sephiroth then turned his attention back to his opponent, "Is this the pain you felt before, Volt?"

Volt, not listening, tried to ease himself through the pain, but that just made things all the more torturous.

Sephiroth snickered, "Let me remind you. This time, you won't forget."

Then quickly, Sephiroth threw Volt off his blade and into the air, before straight going into a flurry of omnislashes. Volt continued to cry out in pain as the group watched him be basically tortured. Finally, with another dashing blow, Sephiroth launched Volt into the ground with a massive thud, while he himself remained mid-air.

Volt, tired and weak, just laid on the ground, looking at the horrified faces of his friends.

"Tell me what you cherish most!" Sephiroth declared, "Give me the pleasure of taking it away." Thus, raising his blade into the air, Sephiroth began to come crashing down toward Volt.

Volt, awaiting his impending doom, tried to think of a way out of this, he couldn't just let this happen; let the darkness over run him.

He was in control of it.

It was his power to command!

Clenching his eyes shut, Volt raised himself off the ground, and when he opened his eyes, his tighten face softened, and his eyes emitted a bright white glow. Quickly, he turned around, summoning his Keyblade back to him, and managed to block the powerful blow from his opponent. Sephiroth, confused, watched as the black lighting designs on Volt's jacket also begin to light up, as the young Keyblade wielder slashed the soldier away back into the air.

The group in turn watched as a ball of lightning began to form around their friend, while he in turn started gracefully floating upward into the air. Looking back at the dumbstruck Sephiroth, Volt spoke in a more booming tone.

"I pity you," He said, "You just don't get it at all." Suddenly, the ball of lightning imploded into Volt's body, before he began to ferociously dash into Sephiroth in every which way, leaving the one winged angel no room to fight back. After landing blow after blow onto the swordsman, Volt glared down toward Sephiroth, who knew exactly what was coming next.

"There's not a thing I don't cherish!" Volt finally declared, and with final swoop, Volt slashed Sephiroth straight down, as he landed back onto the ground, while Sephiroth merely fell with a giant smash.

As he quickly got back to his feet, the light around Volt began to dim back to normal, leaving Volt simply collapse, tired. With the force field now down, the group ran to their friend, trying to pick him back up.

"Volt, are you ok? Say something!" SoraAlam said aloud.

"If you can hear us, blink twice and wiggle your nose!" Sky added, which was followed by a pause.

"He can't wiggle his nose! What do we do?" Cynical cried out, panicking. However, a mere cough helped them see that Volt was in fact, ok.

"Hehe, did I win?" Volt sheepishly asked, only for his friends to chuckle back.

"Well, isn't this surprising?"

Everyone turned on heel at the sound of the voice, as they looked to see the smoke had cleared, Sephiroth was back on his feet, almost unfazed by the damage Volt had inflicted on him. Everyone summoned their Keyblades, ready to attack, but Volt simply put his hand out, signalling them to stand down.

Stepping forward, Volt glared at Sephiroth. "I know now why the Keyblade chose me. I guess in many respects I should thank you."

Sephiroth smirked, "But you're not going to…are you?"

Volt smirked back, "Nope."

Sephiroth simply chuckled, "Very well. I believe my work here is done."

"Now stay where you belong, Sephiroth," Volt said, "in my memories."

Sephiroth stood back, with his arms out to his side, as he grinned one last time. "I will…never be a memory." And with that, Sephiroth faded away back into the pools of darkness, which seeped into Volt's shadow. Taking a deep breath, Volt cleared his head, and for once, he felt like himself again.

"Ok, that was either the strangest or most awesome thing I have ever seen." Cynical declared, as HMK walked up beside his other dark friend.

"Well, whatever it was," He said, "We're just glad that you're ok Volt."

Volt smiled back to his friend, as the two proceeded to fist bump. "Thanks." He said.

"Well, I think it's high time we headed out." Sky eventually said, summoning his glider, "We've got answers to find and villains to fight."

Everyone nodded. "Right." Volt said, as he summoned his Keyblade jetpack, "Lead the way!" And with that, the group blasted off from their location, and disappeared beyond the worlds border.

Off in the distance, however, atop one of the buildings in the sandlot, Loki watched as the group fled from the world, bearing his devilish smile.

"Fascinating power, isn't it?" He asked, "The darkness in people's hearts." He turned to Dispatch, whom was tied in energy bands that restrained her to her feet, unable to move.

She remained quiet, as Loki approached her. "Why, it almost turned your little spy into another pawn." He gloated, "Surely that would have been quite a draught, wouldn't it?" Dispatch didn't respond, only glaring back at the god, who in turn just simply snickered while walking past her.

Dispatch then fearfully looked up to the sky above. Whatever was coming, she only hoped that they would be alright.

* * *

**BOOM! Didn't see that coming did ya?!**

**Alas, this brings our visit to Twilight Town to an end, though I'm glad I made it epic enough of a send off...right?**

**Also, yes, I gave Cynical a weapon for now until his gets his, well you know. If you want to know what it looks like, it's basically Vexen's shield with a green and black palate, so there that is.**

**Thus that concludes this chapter. However, before we wrap things up, I do want to bring a couple things to light...**

**If you guys don't already know, I'm currently putting SSP as a whole on hold at the moment. I just have too many things going on in my personal life at the moment to fully dedicate myself to writing. Does that mean I won't be writing at all during this hiatus? Not necessarily; I just won't have time to crank out more chapters in the coming weeks. **

**But anyway, that's all I wanted to let you guys know about. As always, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! **


	13. No Rest for the Riches

**Hello everyone, and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Well...this certainly has been a pretty...eventful past few weeks...**

**I mean...did you ****guys SEE THAT NEW KH3 TRAILER?! BOI, THAT WAS FREAKING AMAZING! TANGLED CONFIRMED! UNREAL ENGINE 4! THE FREAKING CALENDER IN THE BACKGROUND!**

**Ok, ok, beating around the bush. Yes, am fully aware of what has happened with The X-Keepers community, and before anyone asks, yes, I do know how I'm going to go about the situation. With that said, however, please do not spam me in your reviews and/or PMs about the situation, as this is most certainly not the place to do so. Good? Good.**

**Now, with that said, let's continue one with our adventure, by checking in on some characters we haven't heard from in a while. Enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney. **

* * *

CHAPTER 13

Aqua sat in the dark cell, cross-legged, as she tried to meditate. She tried to push out the dreary thoughts of what had befallen her and her friends. But clearly, those thoughts were just too powerful to block out.

Well, that and Lea's panicking wasn't helping either.

With a large sigh, Aqua looked to see the redhead pacing in the cell next to her. "I mean honestly, I've tried everything!" She heard her friend yelp, "I can't summon my Keyblade, a dark corridor, light corridor; heck, even the D-Link doesn't work in here!"

Across from the young Keyblade Master, Cloud leaned against the bars that held him in deep thought. "Well what haven't you tried yet?" He asked, as Lea stopped to think for a second.

"You wouldn't happen to have any of those glowing ball things around would you?" He asked.

Cloud, knowing what Lea was taking about, let out a scoff. "All of my items were taken, just like yours, Lea." Lea groaned loudly, hanging his head in defeat before slumping up beside the wall behind him.

"Don't worry hot-head, you have my sentiments," Lightning spoke up, still sitting up against the wall in her cell, before she grumbled, "If anything, it's all I can give at this point."

Aqua looked to the young warrior across from her, "No matter how far we think we've fallen, we still can't give up hope."

Lightning let out a small chuckle. "Hope," She scoffed, "You honestly think that's going to help us here? I don't know if you've noticed, but we're kind of tight for options, and so far these black coats here haven't been that hospitable." Sitting herself up, Lightning continued on, "Look, point being, these people are dead set on getting what they want. Which means no matter what happens, we are going nowhere. There just aren't that many options left."

Aqua, looking down at the ground, processed Lightning's words. She had a point, but even still, she knew that they couldn't give up. "I just can't afford to think like that." Aqua simply replied, "Not after what I've seen."

Lightning, knowing exactly what Aqua was talking about, kept quiet, as she let the Keyblade master have some time to reflect on that fateful day…

* * *

_Heartless. Nobodies. Unversed. Every enemy imaginable stood on that battle ground, clawing and snarling their way through the war. But even then, Aqua continued to hack and slash her way through the crowd, banishing the darkness back to whence it came. She kept looking to her sides, as she saw her friends fighting alongside her, while they too dashed through the crowd with ease. Nearing the edge of the battleground, Aqua looked to see ahead of the crowd, but immediately gasped at the terror she saw. _

_ Their enemy and former master, Xehanort, had forged the X-Blade. He stood, grasping the blade in his hand, as he looked down on the young boy who faced him, while the old master wore his signature grin. _

_"All worlds begin in darkness." He stated, raising the blade above him, "And all so END!" _

_And thus, with a dashing swoop, Xehanort brought the blade down upon his enemy, while everyone looked on in horror…_

* * *

"Gah!"

SoraAlam jolted upright, breathing heavily. Looking to his side, he saw that his friends were still asleep, but the campfire that they all were laying around had all but died out. Turning back, he let out a hearty sigh, as he collapsed his hands over his face. It was all just a dream.

Or…was it?

It all felt so real, almost like it was a memory. The thought of the Keyblade War still stuck in his head, like a nagging pain that wouldn't go away. He just didn't know what to do about it.

"Trouble sleeping there, champ?" SoraAlam looked to see the bright moonlight glowing down on him, and in front of it, was Skyward Wing, sitting cross-legged on a boulder, facing outward at the moon.

"You could say that." SoraAlam answered, pulling himself from his sleeping bag, "What are you still doing up?"

Sky let out a breath, "Meditation." He answered, "Helps clear my mind during situations like this. That and I don't really find it that easy to sleep that much anymore."

SoraAlam climbed on top of the boulder, taking a seat beside his friend. "Why not?" SoraAlam asked, but Sky didn't answer, leaving the young boy to fill in the blanks. "Oh…right." SoraAlam figured out, "I guess the past affects us more than we think."

"Well, it doesn't JUST affect us." Sky added, "It helps mold who we are, and what we can become. Or at least, that's what I got out of it."

SoraAlam laughed, "True enough."

The duo then sat silently, before Sky felt it appropriate to speak up.

"So…The Keyblade War, huh." He said, immediately catching his friend's attention. "Y'know, they say that a few of those who fought in that war weren't even masters. Or at least they weren't yet at that point. Heck, Sora himself failed his Mark of Mastery the first time around!"

Sky then looked out at the moonlight, remembering what he learned about that day. "And yet, he's still the same guy who managed to bring the worlds together like this." Sky admired, "That is the thing of sheer legends."

SoraAlam smiled at Sky's knowledge, also looking out at the large moon. "I still don't know what all of it has to do me though; and why I'm having these dreams about it."

"Sometimes, maybe the answers aren't just right in front of us." Sky explained, "There out there waiting to be found."

"And what do you think will happen when we find them?" SoraAlam asked.

Sky shrugged, "Worst case scenario, it was built up to something really anticlimactic. Or, best case scenario, it straight up changes everything."

SoraAlam, nodding, quickly looked out in the open. "Whoa! Look!" He exclaimed, as Sky also looked out to what his friend was pointing at.

Out in the distance, a beam of green light shot out across the forest plain of the world they were on. It almost looked like there was some sort of design within the line. The two Keyblade Wielders looked on, perplexed at what they were looking at.

"What do you think that is?" SoraAlam asked, as Sky crouched down on the rock.

"Only one way to find out," He answered, "Come on!"

Then moving quickly, Sky hopped off the boulder and ran into the forest after the bright light.

"Wait, what about…?" SoraAlam tried to call out, before looking back to see the rest of the group, asleep. Even though it didn't feel to right to leave them behind, he still couldn't let Sky go off on his own, Keyblade Master or not.

Thus, hoping off the boulder, SoraAlam chased after Sky, hoping whatever they were chasing after was worth the chasing.

* * *

Trees in his way or not, Sky flew through the forest on his glider after this light, with SoraAlam not too far behind him. Somehow, Sky thought he had seen this line somewhere before, but he just couldn't put finger on it where he had seen it. Continuing through the jungle-like landscape, the duo began to see a clearing up ahead, meaning that they were about to find out where this line was leading to. Thus, they pressed on, ready to see what they were chasing after.

However, the duo was pleasantly surprised to find that once they entered the clearing, they saw that the line had been cut off at the edge of a cliff. Dismissing their gliders, the duo walked out to the edge of the cliff, seeing the massive baron crater before them.

"Amazing," SoraAlam silently exclaimed, "What do you think this is?"

Sky analyzed the area, before turning back to his friend. "Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure we weren't supposed to find it." Sky answered.

"Took the words right out of my mouth, lad!"

The duo whipped around at the sound of the new voice, only to be brought face to face with an unusual crowd. They were a strange lot filled with creatures and goons galore, with their leader being a larger man, who bore a robotic arm, peg leg and eye, as he wore a three pointed hat on top of his head. Suffice it to say, the duo didn't have to take long in order to figure out what kind of group they were dealing with.

"Oh good," SoraAlam cautiously joked, "more pirates." Sky however, was dead silent, before he starred at the cyborg captain.

"Long John Silver." Sky uttered, as the cyborg stepped forward.

"Skyward Wing." Silver replied, stepping in front of the young Keyblade master. "You've certainly got a lot of guts showing your face around here. After what you pulled."

The two Keyblade wielders looked at each other, SoraAlam in shock, and Sky more confused, as he looked back to the cyborg's glare. Then, Silver raised his robotic arm, as if he was ready to punch Sky right in the face. But as soon as he threw down his fist, it stopped halfway, as Silver's punch suddenly turned into a handshake.

Silver heartily laughed, as he pulled the now relieved Sky into a hug. "How're you doing, you old pirate?" Sky asked his old friend.

"Old?" Silver jokingly asked, "I may be rusty, but I'm still a swashbuckler at heart!"

"No doubt." Sky laughed, though SoraAlam still stood puzzled.

"Uh, am I missing something here?" He asked, as Sky pulled back to his friend.

"Oh right." He sheepishly realized, "SoraAlam, this is Long John Silver, one of the best pirates to ever sail the cosmos."

"Aw, you flatter me, lad!" Silver replied, as he shook SoraAlam's hands, "Pleasure to meet ya, son."

"Likewise." SoraAlam casually replied, not sure what to make of Sky's acquaintance.

"So, Silver, what brings you to this…place, here." Sky asked, unsure of exactly to call the area they were in.

"Do you even have to ask, lad?" Silver responded as he reached into his back pocket, "Take a gander."

Out of his pocket, Silver revealed to the duo a golden orb, engraved with several strange markings, which he passed to Sky. Though SoraAlam found the object curious enough, Sky stared at the orb, knowing exactly what it was.

"This is…" Sky started to say.

"Captain Nathaniel Flint's treasure map." Silver answered with a twinkle in his robotic eye.

"A treasure map?" SoraAlam questioned, "In this little ball?"

Silver laughed, "Things are not always as they appear, lad." He answered, "Though I will admit, we have had a bit of trouble trying to figure out how the blasted thing works…"

As Sky looked at the sphere, his eyes wandered towards the ground, where he saw a small divot . However, looking closer at it, the hole bared some of the same carvings as the orb did. Deciding to put two and two together, Sky knelt down to the hole, and placed the orb inside the hole, which fit like a glove. Suddenly, the ground started to shake and the markings on the orb began to light up, before the light began to spread around on other parts of the ground. Before long, the glowing carvings around the orb began to sprout upward, until it began to form into what looked like a small globe.

All of the pirates were in awe of what they just saw, as Silver came to Sky and SoraAlam's sides.

"Magnificent, boys," He said, before he paused, "So what does it do?"

Sky looked over the globe, just as puzzled. "I'm not quite sure." He replied, until he saw what looked like a picture of one of the worlds he had been to before. Curious, he touched the picture, and before anyone knew it, a triangular shape appeared in front of everyone, and inside it, a picture of the world appeared.

Everyone didn't have to think too long before they realized what this thing was.

"It's a portal," SoraAlam realized, "To a bunch of different worlds."

Sky continued to touch the pictures of various worlds, and each time, that world appeared in the portal. "Olympus Coliseum, Neverland, Atlantica, Halloween Town, all of them," Sky listed off, "They're marked on this map. This must be how good ol' Captain Flint got around."

Silver, excited by what he was hearing, got in close to see if he could find where he was looking to go, and sure enough, found it to gleeful abandon.

"Lookie here, Skyward. Look, that's where we need to be," Silver exclaimed, as Sky stared at the world.

"Treasure Planet," Sky said, rolling his eyes, "Of course you would be after Flint's loot."

"Yes, yes, my boy." Silver laughed as he groaned, "So tell me, how do we get there?"

Sky, simply shrugging, answered, "Simple. Just open the door." Thus, when he saw the picture of the designated world, Sky pressed his finger on the glowing picture, bringing it up in the portal.

Everyone gasped, as the picture looked very bleak, lacking very little colour inside. SoraAlam looked at Sky, curious as to whether or not his friend pressed the right button or not. Sky looked as though he was positive this was it, thus he moved forward, everyone else following him toward the portal. Approaching with caution, Sky held his hand up to the window, before it felt through the picture and into the world itself. Thus, he walked forward, and found himself looking in awe at what he just found. SoraAlam, as well as Silver and the other pirates, entered the portal along with him, now knowing it was safe, and they too were dumbstruck by what they saw.

Gold. Nothing but coins, doubloons, and other treasure for all that the eye could see. And the entire planet was covered in it.

"By the gods." Silver gasped, as his men began cheering and screaming as they dive-bombed into the massive loot they found. Even Sky and SoraAlam had to admit, this was astounding.

"An entire planet covered in treasure." SoraAlam described, "I'll admit. I'm impressed." Sky nodded, as he looked around the golden landscape, until he saw what looked like a pirate's ship off in the distance.

"Silver, look!" Sky pointed his friend where he was looking, as Silver widened his mechanical eye at the structure. "That's got to be Flint's ship, right?" Sky asked, as the pirate gasped at the sight.

"Ay, lad, so it is!" He exclaimed, "Let's get a closer look!"

As Silver led Sky down the gold-filled pathway, SoraAlam followed them, though he was a bit curious towards Silver's personality. Something just didn't feel right about him, but he didn't know what.

As the trio approached the ship, which was certainly looking worse for wear, Sky leaped up onto the ship, pulling his friends aboard the ship. Once everyone aboard, everyone turned around to come face to face with something quite terrifying.

It was a large, skeletal face, obviously alien like, which bared a large pirate hat on its head. Silver gasped at the sight.

"Captain Flint!" He said in disbelief, as Sky's eyes widened.

"That's Flint?" He asked, as SoraAlam still stood there confused.

"You keep talking about this guy, but, who is he?" he asked, as Sky explained.

"Flint was the most dastardly pirate to ever sail through the realms between. And one of the first to do so, too." Sky told, as he got closer to the skeleton, "He traveled the worlds, plundering and pillaging and the other pirate-y stuff. Over the years, he amassed so much treasure that he had to store it away. Somewhere where no one could find it." SoraAlam came to Sky's side as his friend pondered his thoughts.

"And still to this day, no one has found it." Silver continued onto Sky's story, only for the young Keyblade master to smile.

"Yeah," Sky answered, turning around, "No one except us, Silv-"

But when Sky turned back to face his old friend, he was instead met the cyborg's blaster hand in his face, and a disgruntled look on the pirate's face. At this point, several of the other pirates had climbed aboard the ship, and also had their weapons drawn upon the Keyblade wielders.

"Silver," Sky asked worriedly, "What's going on?"

"He's fulfilling his end of the bargain."

Hearing a new voice, both Sky and SoraAlam looked above them to see two new figures, both dressed in hooded black coats, standing above them on the platform above them on the ship.

"Oh…how quaint." SoraAlam groaned, as both he and Sky stood, worried about what they had just gotten themselves into…

* * *

**Rule of thumb: never trust a pirate, let alone one you JUST met!**

**But yes, as you can see, we have come to the second Disney world of our story, of course based on Treasure Planet. However, unlike the film, this version is going to be a tad different then how it is portrayed in the film. But, we'll get to that eventually. **

**Like I said in the beginning, guys, please don't come to me in your reviews and PMs asking me about the X-Keepers' situation, as I'll just be ignoring them, and some may even be deleted. It's disrespectful, and like I said, this isn't the place for a debate or anything of the sort. If you guys REALLY want to know what I plan to do regarding this FanFiction's future in regards to this situation, then I might make a post on the X-Keepers Facebook page talking about it. But other than that, please don't come to me about it.**

**Other than that, this concludes another chapter of The X-Keepers! As always, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

**P.S. Props to anyone who can find the references to both Star Wars and The Hunger Games!**


	14. Remnats of Treasure

**Hello everyone, and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Well, considering that more than likely some people will rage out near the end of this chapter, I will say right now that following this chapter, I will be having a follow up statement prepared to post on The X-Keepers' Facebook page, but for now that is all I'm saying...**

**In the meantime, let's celebrate the fact that we are going to be getting a crap-ton of KH3 news next month! Anyone? No? You just want to read the story now? Sigh, figures. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney**

* * *

CHAPTER 14

"You know, I was kind of expecting this, but at the same time, this is pretty cold, Silver, even for you." Skyward Wing called out to the cyborg Pirate, as his men had Sky and SoraAlam surrounded.

"I understand your being upset, Skyward, and I do apologize." Silver told his old friend, as he gazed out at the gold-ridden world, "But after all these years of searching, I have finally found the loot of a thousand worlds! And it's all mine for the taking." Silver clenched his fist in determination, as Sky continued to scowl at his old friend.

SoraAlam, meanwhile, watched the figures in the black coats move down onto their deck, approaching Silver.

"That it is, my dear friend." One of the coats, who was upright in a sophisticated manner, told the pirate, "Which is exactly why you should savor this moment while it lasts."

Silver, catching the coat's tone, questioned, "What do you mean 'while it lasts'?"

The other man in the coat, who was hunched over, began giggling to himself. "Ho ho ho, brother. He doesn't know, does he?" He asked wickedly.

Silver, switching his sword onto his robotic arm, started approaching the two coats, angered. "Don't I know what?" He asked, as the upright coat walked forward.

"You seem to be forgetting the fact that Flint had this entire planet ready to blow if anyone found his treasure." The coat responded, to which Silver was having none of.

"Blasphemy!" He exclaimed, "Why would he set traps if he himself was being left behind?"

"Why the answer is simple!" The hunched-over coat answered, smiling, "If he couldn't have it for himself…no one could."

Thus, when the upright coat snapped his fingers, the beams above the planet shot down onto the core, causing a massive earthquake. Everyone on the ship tumbled onto the ground, before catching their footing again. Silver looked out to see that a massive sinkhole was forming, and that the loot was disappearing into it. In shock and fright of losing everything, Silver gathered himself up off the ground, and leaped off of the ship.

"Every man for himself!" He cried out, as the other pirates also dashed from the ship to collect the gold.

As everyone bolted, the coats turned their attention to Sky and SoraAlam, whom were quick to get defensive. "All of this, just to draw us out?" Sky questioned, "Sounds pretty pathetic to me!"

"Let me guess," SoraAlam chimed in, "This is to ensure that we don't get in your way?"

The upright coat laughed, as he began to remove his hood, "You two are quite the smart ones."

As his hood fell back, SoraAlam and Sky looked upon the man's features. He was dark skinned and bared golden eyes, as well as green dreadlocks for hair, while a mechanical looking monocle sat upon his left eye. He smiled at the duo, as his hunched over accomplice, whom continued to giggle, joined him in removing his own hood.

"Yes, dear brother, but what is the mind without a little madness?" The coat asked, as his hood fell back, revealing his face to the duo. He too was dark-skinned and bared golden eyes, but his own blonde hair was much spikier than his comrade, while also wearing mechanical goggles on his forehead.

He grinned at the duo through his golden tooth, as Sky and SoraAlam slightly winced at the man's creepy features.

"When's the last time you brushed your teeth?" Sky whined, as the coat took a second to think.

"About three weeks ago, give or take." He replied with a nonchalant shrug, as his partner waved his arm out.

"Enough stalling, Itazura." The coat barked out, "It's high time we carried out our mission as brother asked, is it not?"

The hunched over coat, Itazura, nodded to his companion, "I thought you'd never ask, Keisan." He chuckled, as the Keyblade wielders stood confused.

"Just how many of you guys are there?" SoraAlam asked impatiently.

"Enough to dispose of all of you, make no mistake." The upright coat, Keisan, replied, "Now, seeing as how we've now gotten the chance to get to know each other…" Just then, Keisan waved his arm about, as his weapon, a whip, appeared in his hand. He cracked it through the air before he threw it to the side of him, attaching the whip to latch onto a cutlass in the middle of a pile of loot. Keisan then pulled the whip back to him, pulling the cutlass to him as well, which he caught in his hand and pointed at the duo, darkly stating, "En garde."

Wasting no time, SoraAlam summoned Maximum Control into his hands, as he darted for Keisan, whom merely leapt out of the way of his opponent, as the two began to duel. Meanwhile, Sky summoned his own Keyblade as he followed Itazura up to the top of the ship, as the coat began to laugh once more, summoning his own weapon.

"Time to play, Keyblade master!" He cried out, as he summoned his weapons, a pair of nunchakus, as he twirled them about before enter his battle stance.

Sky then began to smile himself. "Ohhhhh," he realized, "A fellow chucker, eh?" Just then, Sky, held out his Keyblade on the opposite ends of both his hands, as the weapon then began to morph into something different. Before long, Sky's weapon had drastically changed, as he too now held a nunchaku in his hand, which he twirled around even better than Itazura did, before dropping back into his battle stance.

As Itazura stood confused at what his opponent just did, Sky simply shrugged. "Keyblade Transformations." He stated, "Not bad, huh?" Itazura, confused and enraged at his opponent, cried out as he attempted to engage his foe. Sky, however, simply sidestepped his attack, and slashed his opponent off the boat.

Back on the lower end of the boat, SoraAlam kept trying to slash at Keisan, but the coat simply blocked every single one of his attacks effortlessly.

"You lack skill," Keisan taunted, "Yet you possess much valor." SoraAlam tried to block out his opponent, as Keisan slammed the young boy against a post behind him, before clashing blades once again, "You have courage, yet you're unfocused." He continued, as he pinned SoraAlam against the railing of the ship, almost overboard. "It seems that my theory about Keyblade Wielders is true." Keisan estimated, grinning in SoraAlam face, before the young boy ignited his Keyblade in a blast of Fira, knocking Keisan off his feet and onto the ground, dropping his cutlass.

"Was being unpredictable on that list too?" SoraAlam asked smartly, before dropping back into his battle stance.

Keisan, though initially enraged, suddenly looked at SoraAlam with the oddest of looks. His eyes were squinted in confusion, yet displayed a hint of shock. "You…" He gasped, as SoraAlam looked at his opponent, also confused.

In this instant of hesitation, Keisan summoned his whip back and immediately tripped SoraAlam off his feet, as he himself regained his footing. "Also, to answer your question, being very predictable was quite high on my 'list'." The man taunted once more before, turning up toward the upper half of the ship. "Itazura!" He called out, "It's time we made our exit."

Itazura, who was practically running away from Sky at this point, reached his partner in record time. "That it is, dear brother." He replied, as the duo leaped off the boat and into a pool of darkness, with Itazura crying out, "So long, scrubs!"

Sky and SoraAlam were about to follow, before another massive quake hit, knocking the heroes onto their feet. SoraAlam slid to his friends side, after Sky had fallen onto the lower deck.

"Sky, you alright?" SoraAlam asked, picking his friend up.

"Yeah," Sky replied, "I'm fine, I- LOOK OUT!"

Sky then immediately tackled SoraAlam to the side, as the massive beam started cutting through the ship, creating a massive sinkhole beneath the young Keyblade wielders. Narrowly avoiding their demise, SoraAlam caught the edge of the hole, while Sky was clinging to SoraAlam's foot.

"Next time, a little heads up would be nice!" SoraAlam called out, while Sky looked around the best he could.

"Can you see the exit?" Sky asked.

SoraAlam tried to look and see, but he looked upward, he noticed the sinkhole growing bigger, thus causing his grip on the edge to slide out. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" SoraAlam yelled out, before his entire grasp was gone and he and Sky were starting to freefall.

"Gotcha!"

Before the duo could fall any further, SoraAlam arm was grasped firmly by what felt like a robotic hand. Looking up, the duo saw a friendly face pulling them up.

"Silver!" Sky exclaimed.

"Hold on, lads! Almost there!" Silver called out, as he managed to get the duo out of the hole and back onto solid-ish ground.

"What ever happened to 'every man for himself'?" Sky asked his old friend.

"Not when a friend of mine is danger!" Silver stated proudly.

"You had me at gunpoint!" Sky shot back.

"Did I not teach you anything about theatrics, Skyward, honestly?" Silver explained, until another rupture interrupted them.

"Yeah, guys, best we argue about this when we're not about to become buried in gold." SoraAlam stated, to which the two nodded and got to their feet.

However, looking out at how far the exit was, Silver started to realize something. "Wait a second; even if we get out of here, this place is still rigged to blow sky high. How do we plan on out running an explosion that could blow an entire planet to smithereens?"

Sky, thinking of a plan, looked out at the exit, and remembered something when he caught a glimpse of the map.

"We don't have to out run it!" Sky realized, to which the other two were confused.

"Wait, what?" Silver asked, as Sky summoned his Keyblade Glider.

"Just trust me on this." Sky told the old pirate, before turning to his friend, "SoraAlam, you lead."

"On it." SoraAlam stated, as he summoned his owned glider while Silver hopped into his sidecar. Quickly, the trio blasted off, hoping to reach the portal in time.

"How long do you think we have before the place blows?" SoraAlam asked, to which Silver shrugged.

"I don't know. A few more seconds at least." He replied, looking back to see the beams starting to collapse and fall to the ground, ready to trigger the explosion.

"C'mon, just a little bit more! C'mon!" Sky muttered, as he and his comrades flew as fast as they could to the portal's exit just as the beams hit the ground, causing the explosion to go off, and chase our heroes out. Just as SoraAlam and Silver made it out of the portal, Sky flipped over the map on his glider and pushed another button to close the portal. Thus, just as the explosion began to hit the portal, the window collapsed, causing the leftover inferno to fizz out into a massive smoke screen.

As coughing and gagging galore started to come from every pirate around, the smoke started to clear, leaving Sky and SoraAlam lying on the ground facing the massive crater again.

As the duo tried to catch their breath, Sky then started to giggle a bit, to which SoraAlam sighed. "I am never going off on my own with you ever again." He groaned, as Sky climbed to his feet.

"Oh man, that was awesome!" Sky exclaimed, as Silver came up from behind him and patted him on the back.

"A mighty job well done, lad." Silver said, "and here I thought you lost your touch."

"Same goes for you too, I guess." Sky replied, looking up to his old friend, "You really saved us back there. Thank you Silver."

As Sky went for a handshake, Silver started to laugh, as he brought his old friend into a big hug. "No, my boy. Thank you, for making me care again."

Sky then too started to laugh as he looked down at the orb, and seeing the few bits left to it start to crumble to bits. "Sorry I ruined your chance at a fortune." Sky said, but didn't hear a reply from his friend.

"Silver?" Sky asked, before turned around to see him helping his men load a huge pile of gold into their nearby raft.

Sky, slack jawed, gathered himself up and walked over to the raft. "What's all this?" He asked, to which Silver stuttered to answer as he got aboard the boat.

"Um, yes, well, this was loot we had with us already, and we were going to…" Silver started to mumble, before Sky shook his head, unimpressed.

"And here I thought you changed." Sky said, to which Silver smiled.

"Hey, what did I used to tell you? The real treasure isn't about what you have here," he said, as he pointed to the loot, "It's about what you keep with you, in here." He then pointed to his head, to which Sky smiled at before the boat started to take off. "Pleasure as always, Skyward." Silver said, as he tipped his hat, before the boat rocketed off into the sky.

"What a scumbag." Sky jokingly sighed, as SoraAlam came to his side.

"How exactly do you guys know each other, again?" He asked, as Sky looked at him funny.

"Long story short: we are never going to Montressor." He answered. SoraAlam, though was about to question Sky's reply, simply shrugged it off, as he followed his friend back into the forest.

* * *

"Literally, Cynical, I just finished healing. All I want is just a little bit more sleep." VoltEditzz groaned, as the duo laid in their respective sleeping bags, while in the middle of them, HMK snored mightily loud, causing Cynical to cover his ears in frustration.

"Well it's kind of hard for one of us to do, seeing as how Wreck-It Ralph over here won't control his nostrils!" Cynical whispered over to Volt, who in turn just groaned while also covered his ears.

"You get your bolts kicked in by the darkness and this is how you're supposed to recover," He muttered, "Just perfect."

Suddenly, a rustle in the bushes caused HMK to finally wake up, as Sky and SoraAlam emerged. "Good morning, you two." HMK greeted with a yawn, as the other two boys looked at the duo's ragged appearance.

"What happened to you two?" Cynical asked.

"Yeah, where were you guys?" Volt also asked.

However, in unison, Sky and SoraAlam simply answered, "Don't ask."

Walking past the group, the two of them started packing their things, while everyone else just looked at each other, confused. Shrugging it off, mostly due to him still being in his groggy state, HMK rose from his bed, as he also started to pack his things. Deciding to follow suit, Cynical and Volt also gathered their belongings together, as the group started to go on their way once more.

* * *

**I'm so sorry. After hearring those clips from the late nights at PAX, I couldn't resist!**

**So, yeah, I don't think I have to really explain why you guys are probably raging right now. Like I said, I'll explain everything over on The X-Keepers' official Facebook page, so please, after you're done reading this, head over there and you'll know what's up.**

**With that said, two more of our villains, Keisan and Itazura, have emerged. Both were pretty hard to write, but I think their introduction was a pretty memorable one if I do say so myself! Oh, and if you need a better picture of what Itazura's hair looks like, it's looks like he just went Super Sayian, so there that is. Also, if you're curious about what their voices sound like, here's an updated cast list of our villains:**

**? -?**

**Shinshi - Maurice LaMarche (Calculon [Futurama])**

**Keisan - Mathew Mercer (Levi [Attack on Titan])**

**Kurai - Clancy Brown (Lex Luthor [Superman: TAS])**

**Itazura - James Arnold Taylor (Ratchet [Ratchet &amp; Clank])**

**? - ?**

**Only two member remaining. The top dog and his lovely assistant... (There's your hint, now don't bug me about it!)**

**And with that all said, I'd say that brings us to the end of this chapter. Until next time, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

**P.S. Props to anyone who can find the TMNT reference! **


	15. Son of a Scientist

**Hello everyone and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**After finishing our adventure on Treasure Planet, we now find our heroes heading off into a new world, and one that is very much a staple of the KH series at this point! **

**And I'm not going to lie, the twist in this chapter is ballin'! So, I'm just going to shut up and let you guys read it cause it's just so...ok, done talking, let's go!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney**

* * *

CHAPTER 15

The glow of the lanes between continued to shine bright as the group soared through the solar skies. However, they appeared to be a little more drained than usual.

After he heard a small gurgle, Cynical clutched his stomach, feeling a bit wheezy. "Ugh, weak feeling." He exaggerated, "Need food."

SoraAlam, also feeling a bit weak, turned up to his other friends, seeing the exhausted looks on their faces. "Are you sure we don't have any more items left?" He asked, to which Sky pulled out his empty satchel in response.

"Not a single one." He responded, "Most of them went to Volt in order for him to recover, and you and me used the rest of them last night."

"Then don't you think it would be a good idea if we found a place to stock up on our stuff?" HMK asked, to which Sky pondered.

"Actually, now that you mention it," he started to answer, "I do know a place that's pretty close by where we could go. In fact, if we keep going this way, then we might just…there it is!"

The gliders continued to fly forward until the group saw the world that Sky was leading them to, which caused most of them to get excited. "Of course!" VoltEditzz exclaimed, "why didn't we think of this earlier."

"Gentlemen," Sky said, "welcome to Radiant Garden!"

* * *

The purple blue skies shined bright as the four Keyblade gliders flew closer down toward the city of light's marketplace. Dismissing their gliders, the group looked around at the massive skyscrapers that now filled the area, and the abundance of people that filled the shopping area.

"Wow, who knew the shopping district would be so busy this time of day." Sky inquired, moving through the big crowd, "So, where do you guys want to start stocking up? Biggs'? Wedge's? Maybe the triplets have something on sale."

"Actually, I know a better place we can go," Volt pointed out, "but it's outside the shopping district."

"You sure about that, Volt?" SoraAlam asked.

"I mean the last time you led us somewhere, you almost…no, not almost, did get your face kicked in." HMK added, but Volt shook his head.

"I know, but trust me." Volt admitted, turning in the opposite direction, "This time, we'll be in much better hands where we're going."

As Volt started to wander off, the group looked at each other curiously, unsure of what exactly they should do. Shrugging his shoulders, SoraAlam decided to follow the young boy, with Sky and HMK following suit.

However, behind the group, Cynical was keeping his head low as he followed, nervously looking around, as if he was being watched. He only hoped that wherever Volt was leading them, no one was going to recognize him.

* * *

Though curious as to where he was going, the group followed Volt through the Borough, examining the suburban like area around them.

Looking over to the small playground beside them, HMK looked ahead to the young boy leading them. "So, where exactly are we going again, Volt?" He asked, as the group turned around the corner to face a large house with a large crooked cone shaped pink roof on top.

"You'll know in a few seconds." Volt responded as he walked up to the oddly shaped house and knocked on the door.

As they waited, SoraAlam turned back to see Cynical still looking around nervously. Concerned for his friend, SoraAlam got his attention. "Hey, Cynical, you ok?" He asked, Cynical looking back at him, still nervous.

"What? Oh yeah, yeah, I'm fine," He answered quickly, "Just taking in the new world is all."

SoraAlam, though a little curious to his friend's behavior, turned back to his other friends as Volt knocked on the door again. This time, a small pair of eyeholes appeared, and with it a voice on the other side of the door.

"What's the password?!" The high feminine voice squeaked, causing the group to step back a bit.

Volt, however, kept his cool and answered, "Cetra."

Upon hearing the young boy's tone, the voice in the other side started to perk up. "No way! Is it really?" She excitedly asked, as a bunch of clicks from the other side were heard, culminating with the door swinging open and Yuffie appearing on the other side, with a massive grin on her face.

"Oh my gosh!" She exclaimed, "Volt! You're ok!" Immediately, Yuffie threw her arms around Volt into a great big hug. Almost too big, as Volt was starting to feel a bit crushed under the young ninja's strength.

"It's good to see you too, Yuffie," Volt wheezed, bearing through the pain, until she set him down, still in her excited mood.

"Everyone's been worried about you," Yuffie said, "Come in!"

As Yuffie led Volt inside the house, the rest of the group decided to follow them in, though Cynical was still unsure about something.

"You guys go ahead," he said, "I'll just stay out here, hold down the fort."

SoraAlam turned back, confused, "What? You're not coming in?" He asked.

"I can wait out here," Cynical responded, "Besides, what if someone followed us and decides to attack us."

"We are at the headquarters of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee " Sky joined the conversation, stating bluntly, "I'm pretty sure someone would think twice about messing with us, now come on!" Sky then walked out and started pushing Cynical into the house, much to the young boy's dismay.

Inside, the group looked on as the committee welcomed Volt into the headquarters. "Good to have you back in one piece, Volt." Leon greeted, shaking the young boy's hand, while Aerith checked his forehead.

"We were quite worried about you," She said in her usual calm, soothing tone, "you weren't hurt were you?"

"No, not at all." Volt answered, before he decided to add, "Ok, maybe a little bit. But I have these guys here to thank for keeping me safe." Volt turned back to show the committee the group, who all wore sheepish smiles across their faces.

"Y'all look like quite the heroes," Cid remarked sarcastically from his computer, "what with the whole ragtag scenario going on there."

Waving off Cid, Leon approached the group, admiring their appearance. "It doesn't matter what exactly they look like," he explained, "it's about the abilities they possess, and what they do with them."

"You got that right," Volt said, approaching his leader, "They're all pretty special in their own way." He then started pointing to each one of them, "The hectic fighter, the wise yet confident, the peacekeeper, and-"

Volt was about to point to Cynical, but noticed that the heuristic one was not amongst the group, but rather was trying to get the door to back outside to open.

"C'mon, stupid door!" He mumbled, trying to open it the best he could, but halted when he noticed that everyone in the room was looking at him. "Uh, heh heh, looks like the door's locked. You guys must have some serious security." He tried to weasel his way out, but everyone's eyes were still trained on him.

SoraAlam had a very confused look on his face toward his friend. "Cynical, we're going to be here for a while, so you might as well-"

"Cynical?" Leon interrupted, "you mean that's…" All of the committee's eyes lit up at this sudden revelation.

"Oh my goodness!" Aerith gasped.

"Well I'll be..." Cid remarked.

"I can't believe it's him!" Yuffie added.

Meanwhile, the group looked absurdly confused. "Uh, Volt," Sky leaned over to the electric one, "why is everyone in the committee looking at Shamrock like he's some kind of messiah?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Volt answered, before Leon moved for the door.

"We have to see Ansem about this, now!" Leon remarked opening the door, as everyone moved to the exit, with Cynical boxed in with them.

"Ansem?" SoraAlam questioned.

"Ansem the Wise," Volt answered, "The leader of Radiant Garden. But, why would we need to take Cynical to see him?"

As he overheard the group questioning the committee's choice while they escorted him out,, Cynical knew in the back of his head why they would be taking such drastic measures…

* * *

Arriving at the castle gates in record time, the restoration committee continued to escort Cynical through the castle corridors, with the group of Keyblade Wielders following closely behind.

As they moved through the castle, many of Ansem's apprentices and scientists noticed the young boy amongst them, and stared on in disbelief. Cynical, meanwhile, continued to keep his head down as they walked, not really trying to draw too much attention.

Finally, the committee approached a large door at the end of the corridor, which the group guessed must have been Ansem's office. Deciding to break the silence, and well as question his friend's safety, SoraAlam spoke up.

"Ok, is anyone here going to tell us what the heck is going on?" He exclaimed, but everyone remained silent as Leon led Cynical through the door, with the rest of the group following him through.

Inside, the massive round office was neatly arranged, with containers filled with hearts piled around the outside of the room, alongside stacks of books inside the shelves. Chalkboards sat on the walls like paintings, and across the room, Ansem the Wise stood there writing on one of them, with his back still turned to the door.

"Wise Ansem," Leon greeted, though Ansem still continued to write away on the chalkboard.

"Mister Leonhart," Ansem greeted back, still writing, "You'll have to excuse me, but my research is starting to take shape, so whatever you to say-"

"Sir," Leon interrupted, "it's him."

Then suddenly, Ansem was silent. He dropped the chalk from his hand as he turned around, with a confused face that quickly turned to shock, as his eyes fell on Cynical.

After Leon motioned him forward, Cynical looked up at the scientist, a tad embarrassed. "Uh…hi," Cyinical said nervously, not sure what exactly to say.

Moving around his desk, Ansem came face to face with the young boy, still at a loss for words for who was standing in front of him. Everyone was silent, not sure what was going to happen from either one of them.

With a small gulp, Cynical decided to break the silence. "Look, I, um," he started, "I know you're prob-"

Before Cynical could even finish his sentence, however, Ansem immediately reached out and pulled Cynical into a deep, loving hug.

With a warm smile plastered across his face, Ansem finally spoke, "None of that matters now." He said, "I'm just glad that you're safe…my son."

Cynical, though initially caught off guard by the hug, quickly returned it at the sound of Ansem's words. "It's good to see you too, Dad." He replied.

Meanwhile, the group was a little more than surprised. "Wait," Volt tried to assess, "Cynical is Ansem's son?"

SoraAlam turned to the boy, "You knew about this?" He asked, surprised.

"I knew Ansem had a son, but I didn't know it was him." Volt responded.

"Well, aren't we just learning things everyday." Sky remarked, as they looked to see Cynical interacting with his father.

"After I heard of The Land of Departure's fall, I had assumed the worst." Ansem explained, "you weren't harmed, were you?"

"I'm fine, Dad, honestly." Cynical answered, "My friends have made sure of that." Ansem then looked over to the ragtag group of Keyblade wielders, who once again wore their sheepish smiles.

"Then I express my grateful thanks to your friends," Ansem remarked.

"Hey, looking out for one another is kinda what we do at this point." HMK answered.

"You are all welcome in Radiant Garden," Ansem stated, before a knock at the door was heard.

As the door open, a gold plated droid entered the room, in a well mannered, almost butler-like, posture.

"Master Ansem," the droid spoke, "The apprentices wanted me to inform you that the experiments are ready to commence."

"Tell them I will be there momentarily." Ansem replied, while Cynical stared wide eyed at the robot.

"3P0?" He questioned, as the droid approached the young boy.

"Why, yes, I-" the droid was about to answer, until he looked closer at him, realizing who it was. "The maker!" He gasped, "Oh, Master Jared, it is quite a privilege to see you again sir!"

"It's good to see you again too." Cynical greeted, as the robot turned to see the others.

"Ah, you all must be friends of Master Jared." He assessed, "It is very good to meet you all. I am C-3P0, human cyborg relations. I am also personal assistant to Ansem the Wise."

"Fascinating." SoraAlam inquired.

"3P0, would you mind giving our guests a tour of the castle?" Ansem asked.

"Most certainly, sir." 3P0 responded, as he lead the group back out into the hall, with Ansem and Cynical following behind.

* * *

As 3P0 lead the group through the castle, Ansem described the different areas they were in. Rounding the corner, they made their way into one of the many labs that had been recently constructed, where Ansem's apprentices were hard at work on numerous experiments.

"This new, state of the art laboratory was made with the intention of creating new technology to better the various worlds." 3P0 explained, as the group took in the massive amount of technological wonders around them.

"All of this was made while I was away?" Cynical asked his father, to which Ansem laughed.

"No, no, my apprentices had many of these in the planning stages for quite some time." Ansem answered, "it was only after The Keyblade War that we had decided to put most if not all of these projects into effect."

After that subtle mention, SoraAlam's curiosity in Ansem's research had peaked. Why after the Keyblade War was it so important to have all of these projects brought to fruition?

As they ended the tour, the group was gathered outside of the Postern, overlooking the massive city that the world had become.

"Everything we do, we do for the greater good." Ansem said. "To keep balance where we need it most, and protect those who are closest to us." Turning to his son, Ansem smiled. "You'll have to tell me all about your adventures." He said, to which Cynical nodded.

"Definetly." He answered, as he looked over to his friends.

"Well, seeing as how you're going to be occupied, I might as well take the time to look around for someplace to meditate." Sky decided, stretching to the side.

"I think I'll join you." HMK responded, "I've got some of my own nerves to crank out."

"I should probably check in with the Restoration Committee." Volt chimed in, "they'll also probably want to know everything that's happened thus far."

"Ok, we'll meet back here in a little bit then." Sky said, to which which everyone nodded in agreement, as they all went their separate ways.

As they all departed, SoraAlam still stood at the side of the Postern, as he watched Ansem guide Cynical back into the castle. He didn't know what it was, but something about Ansem's research was bugging him. It didn't feel right to him, and felt that he should investigate it just a tad further. Thus, he followed Ansem and Cynical back into the castle, hoping to get the answers he wanted.

Amidst all of this, a lone hooded figure in a brown cloak watched from a distance, before setting out to put his plans into motion.

* * *

**BOOM!**** PLOT TWIST! **

**So, yes, we have entered the one and only Radiant Garden! As you can probably gather, the world in my version has gone through a major redesign. If you want a picture of what it looks like, it essentially looks like a combination of Shibuya (TWEWY), Midgar (FF7), and Disney's Magic Kingdom. **

**Also, as you can probably gather, it's once again backstory time! Your turn Cynical, and you can probably imagine what's going to happen in this little arc...**

**BUT WITH THAT SAID, that brings us to the end of today's chapter. Until next time, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! **


	16. Judgement

**Hello everyone, and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Yikes! We have a long one today, folks! I really did not intend on making the chapter this long, but considering what is about to transpire in this one, I think it very well deserves the extra word count.**

**So, with that all said, lets conclude our visit to Radiant Garden, shall we?**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney**

* * *

CHAPTER 16

The Great Maw was barren, empty, and extremely quiet. However, that was just the way Sky liked it.

Sitting crosslegged, he and HMK sat out on the massive blue mountains that surrounded the area, both in deep meditation. Breathing deep, the two tried their hardest to concentrate on their own thoughts.

"I am a leaf on the wind." Sky exhaled, "give me the strength to bring balance."

"I am the flame of life," HMK also sighed, "give me the wisdom to pass on to others."

"I am the cloud of judgement," Sky said, trying to one up his friend, "give me the choice to save those needed, or leave them to fate."

"I am a man of sacrifice." HMK rebutted, "give me the willingness to not hit Skyward Wing over the head."

"Ok, now your just making fun of me." Sky responded, as HMK shrugged.

"What can I say? My zen is can be a tad harsh." He replied, as Sky tried to refocus his stance, but it just wasn't doing it for him.

"So much for calm unwinding." Sky uttered in defeat.

"Hey, don't blame me," HMK stated, "blame the universe for not wanting light and darkness to get along."

Sitting back, Sky decided to add to the topic. "Why do you decide to use the darkness anyway?" He asked, "I mean, what is it about the light that you didn't find all that interesting?"

HMK tried to think. Sky had a point, but at the same time, he didn't really know how to respond. "I honestly don't know." He answered, "I guess it's just that the darkness has been with me for so long, that I never really found a way to incorporate the light into my life." HMK then held out his hand, and in it, a ball of flame emitted from his palm. "For as long as I can remember, darkness has always been apart of me, whether I wanted it to be or not." He added, "so I have had pretty much no choice but to use it, and try and control it."

Sky, feeling bad for his friend, tried to lighten the mood. "Well, hey, from what I've seen, you seem to be on the right track." He said positively, "Aside from the attitude, of course."

HMK rolled his eyes. "Right, cause that's totally a side effect." He sarcastically pointed out.

Sky rose from his spot. "Point being, even in the darkest of places, everyone has at least a small glimmer of light." He assured, "and besides, whose to say light and darkness can't coexist? They are cut from the same cloth, after all."

Turning to HMK, Sky extended a hand out to help him up off the ground. "Trust me. You might be surprised." He said with a smile.

HMK, smiling back, took Sky's hand, as he pulled him to his feet. "Oh I hope so." HMK responded, feeling a sense of hope toward his cause.

However, before anyone had any chance to react, a sudden gunshot was heard off in the distance, as HMK felt something strike him from behind, causing him to tumble to the ground, unconcious.

"HMK!" Sky cried out, as he slid to his friend's side, looking around to see who fired from where.

However, when he looked back, a figure in a brown cloak was standing over him, and before Sky had had any time to react, the figure knocked the Keyblade master out with one quick swoop.

* * *

From his father's office high above in the castle, Cynical overlooked the massive urban landscape that Radiant Garden had become. Seeing the huge advancements that Ansem had made recently were certainly a sight to behold, considering the tragic background that befell the world before.

"You seem lost," Ansem spoke from behind the boy, who turned to see his father reading from one of his books.

Cynical shook his head, "no, no, just taking it all in I guess." He answered. "Hard to look at this place without remembering what happened to it."

Ansem, knowing all too well what happened, nodded in response. "Those were dark days, indeed." He replied. "But they are behind us, and the future looks brighter than ever."

Cynical shrugged, "That is true, I suppose." He responded.

Ansem, smiling at his son, closed his book, and set it back on his desk. "Now then," he said, "Why don't you give me a demonstration of your new power."

Cynical was confused. "New power?" He asked.

"The Keyblade, son." Ansem elaborated, enthusiastically, "I want to see what you've learned. I'm sure Master Aqua has shown you much as to how to wield such power."

Cynical was a little too hard pressed to say anything, but ultimately, he had to tell him. "Actually…I can't." He told him.

"Of course you can!" Ansem responded, "from what I've heard it's just a flick of the wrist."

"No, Dad, like…I literally can't." Cynical said, his face displaying the severity to his father.

Ansem, now understanding his son's words, now sat confused, and a tad disappointed. "I don't understand." He said, "I thought if you spent enough time around those who could teach you, then…"

Cynical, seeing the sad expression in his father's face, came and sat down beside him. "Why is it so important that I have one?" He asked.

"Jared, from the moment I saw you," Ansem explained, "I knew you had a strong heart. The Keyblade chooses those who posses such a thing. Thus, I saw greatness in you. And I still do." Ansem then looked to his son, who nodded in understanding, before he threw his arm around the young boy.

Cynical, all the while, sat there in silence. He knew his father was still proud of him, but it still upset him that he still wouldn't accept the truth, no matter much he didn't want to.

Meanwhile, peeking around the corner, SoraAlam watched Cynical talk with his father. He was concerned for his friend, knowing what Ansem expected of him. But more importantly, his thoughts on Ansem were starting to get to him even more.

Before he had anymore time to think, he suddenly heard several beeps and whistles coming from beside him. Quickly looking beside him, SoraAlam saw a small blue and white droid rolling up to him, with a familiar voice following him.

"R2-D2, where are you going?" C-3P0 called out, before his robotic eyes feel upon the snooping SoraAlam. "Master SoraAlam?" 3P0 questioned, "what are you doing here?"

Quickly, SoraAlam dashed for the droid, pushing him to the side and covering his mouth, looking to see if anyone had seen them.

"Goodness me, sir," 3P0 inquired, "but what ever is going on?"

"Sorry," SoraAlam apologized, "just didn't want anyone to see was all."

"Pardon me, sir," 3P0 asked, "but would you mind telling me what you are doing?"

SoraAlam sighed, "Something about Ansem's research is bugging me." He answered, "I need to find where he's storing it all, and find out what's really going on."

"Master Ansem's research is completely off limits to anyone except Master Ansem himself," 3P0 explained, "even if I wanted to, I wouldn't know where it is to begin with."

As soon as 3P0 said that, R2 started beeping and whistling to get SoraAlam's attention, who in turn was now more attentive to the little astromech.

"You know where Ansem's research is?" SoraAlam asked the droid, to which R2 positively started beeping to.

"R2, you know we shouldn't be doing this." 3P0 reminded the droid, but he in turn was still relay the info to SoraAlam.

"Can you show me where it is?" SoraAlam asked, as R2 continued beeping while turning back around and dropping his third wheel, leading SoraAlam down the hallway.

"Wait, what are you doing?" 3P0 questioned, but SoraAlam was already following R2 down the hallway. Knowing there was nothing left else to do, 3P0 sighed in defeat. "I'm going to regret this." He groaned, as he followed the others to where Ansem's research was hiding.

* * *

"So how many of these guys are we talking about here?" Cid asked, as VoltEditzz relayed his entire journey with the team thus far with the committee.

"We don't know," Volt answered, "we've only encountered 5 of them."

"Don't black coats usually mean the Organization?" Yuffie asked.

"You're right," Leon answered, "but the way Volt describes these people, they feel…different somehow."

"Well, I can tell ya this much," Cid inquired, typing away at his computer, "With the amount of darkness that has been popping up around the worlds, they've been making themselves pretty hard to track."

"So, you can't find them?" Volt asked, approaching the computer.

"Kid, if I could, I wouldn't be telling you all of this, now would I?" Cid explained bluntly, as Volt nodded in understanding.

"At least we now know what we're up against." Leon reassured.

"Even if we didn't," Aerith added, "I know we will be able to face whatever comes our way."

"You betcha!" Yuffie exclaimed, Volt left the computer and headed for the door.

"I better head back to the castle," Volt said, "see what the guys have been up to."

"Be carful out there, Volt," Leon reminded him, "we've been hearing some strange things recently. Try not to get yourself into trouble."

"Leon, I know this place like the back of my hand," Volt reassured his leader, "besides, what's the worst that people can throw at me at this point."

As Volt exited the house, those exact words were thrown back in his face, as he turned to face the Borough and noticed an ominous figure in a brown cloak facing him.

"Oh, something like that." Volt figured out, as the figure quickly drew what looked like a scythe and dashed toward Volt.

The electric one was quick to draw his Keyblade, as he engaged the mystery person the best he could. However, this person's strength quickly outmatched Volt, who was reeling from almost every attack. Before he could make any other moves, the figure quickly dashed under Volt and slashed him across the back with his scythe. Volt, reeling from the cut, fell to the ground in pain, looking up at his victorious opponent, confused.

"Who are you?" He growled, "What do you want?"

"The Keyblade…" the figure replied in a dark tone, "…destroyed."

Volt, unsure of what this man was talking about, didn't have any more time to think before he soon found himself blacking out.

* * *

Following R2 through the castle, SoraAlam looked to notice that the little droid was leading him towards Ansem's private study.

"R2, we do not have any permission to be in there," 3P0 heckled from behind, but the little astromech wasn't listening, as he proceeded to open the door and lead SoraAlam inside.

The room was the exact same as it was when the group first entered it, though this time, nobody inhabited it. Seeing that the coast was clear, R2 proceeded into the room, while SoraAlam looked around at the various notes and objects that Ansem was tinkering with. Approaching a bare wall on the far side of the room, R2 ejected a small rod from his side hatch, which he inserted into a tiny plug in the wall. Spinning the rod around, R2 then ejected his rod from the wall and back into his hatch.

Suddenly, a bright light emitted, and caused the wall in front of them to disappear, leaving a secret room to be uncovered. SoraAlam was in awe over the new laboratory area that they had found, mostly due to how enormously big it was.

"How the heck do you keep something this big a secret?" SoraAlam asked aloud.

"Master Ansem has kept this section of his study locked after The Keyblade War." 3P0 mentioned, "nobody has been seen in this place for quite some time."

Rounding the corner, the trio found themselves near what SoraAlam could only assume was Ansem's personal computer. "That must be where Ansem's research is." He deduced, following R2 over to the computer, where the little droid proceeded to override Ansem's password to open his computer for the Keyblade wielder.

SoraAlam, though not particularly that proficient at using computers, began typing away, trying to find anything out of the ordinary. However, the more he kept digging through Ansem's files, the less he could find that he found out of the ordinary.

"There's nothing," SoraAlam sighed, "A few upgrades for the restoration committee, but other than that, I guess there really isn't anything Ansem is hiding."

"I'm sorry, sir." 3P0 apologized to the young boy, "is there anything I can do?"

"No, it's fine, I-" SoraAlam was about to reply, but he then noticed an interesting file on Ansem's computer:

"Project: Cynical?"

SoraAlam, confused as to why Ansem had a file for his best friend, decided to give in and see what it was about. Opening the file, SoraAlam stood wide eyed at everything he was seeing.

There was a diagram of Cynical, his DNA and vitals, and other things that SoraAlam was too distracted to comprehend. If he was unsure about Ansem now, he sure didn't know what to think after seeing this.

"What is this?" SoraAlam questioned, only for an unexpected voice to reply.

"Something you shouldn't have found."

Whipping around, SoraAlam saw Ansem the Wise standing by the doorway, though he did not appear to be as angry as his tone dictated.

"Master Ansem!" 3P0 exclaimed, "please understand, we had no intention of-"

"Calm yourself, 3P0." Ansem interrupted, walking past the droid, "I will deal with this." Ansem then approached SoraAlam, whose face almost resembled a confused glare. "I'm sure you have many questions." Ansem stated.

"What have you been doing to Cynical?" SoraAlam asked, "does he even know that you've been experimenting on him?"

"I have NOT been experimenting on him!" Ansem slammed his fist on the desk, startling SoraAlam and the two droids. Ansem, realizing the rise in his tone, humbled himself. "I've only been conducting research." He answered politely, "searching for the key to a great discovery."

"What discovery?" SoraAlam asked intently.

"How to summon a Keyblade." Ansem replied.

SoraAlam was in shock. "A Keyblade?" He asked, "how is that even possible? And why would you use Cynical to accomplish such a thing?"

Ansem sighed. He never wanted to recall the birth of this idea, but it appeared he had no choice. "During the Keyblade War, Radiant Garden was thrown into turmoil." He explained, "my people were suffering. Losing their hearts, their whole beings, to darkness. I tried to save as many as I could, but I failed. With the exception of one."

"Cynical." SoraAlam realized, as Ansem continued.

"He, as well as young boy named Dyne were trapped in the Borough." Ansem went on, "Dyne had lost an arm in that destruction, but he gave his all trying to save young Jared. If only I was able to save him too."

SoraAlam swallowed hard at that moment, but continued to listen to Ansem's story.

"After the war, Jared's real parents were never found. Thus, I took it upon myself to take the young boy in. Raise him as my own, and heal his fractured heart." Ansem narrated, "But in that time, I realized, that the boy had a much stronger heart than I had ever seen. And thought with this in mind, he would come to one day wield a Keyblade. As a scientist, I always wondered how one would come to possess such a weapon. And so, I decided to heal this young boy's heart, and use it to discover the means of summoning one's own Keyblade."

SoraAlam, perplexed by Ansem's story, was still confused. "But, Cynical can't wield a Keyblade. How did you plan on having him summon one?"

Ansem began to type away at his computer, zooming in on the diagram of Cynical's heart, revealing a small peacemaker attached to it. "The Genetically Altering Molecular Energy Reaction." Ansem called the device, "When I healed his heart, I installed the device, to track his heart's movements, and the steps it took to how he summoned his Keyblade."

"Generically Altering Molecular Energy Reaction?" SoraAlam asked.

Ansem shrugged, "Or as my apprentices have called it 'The G.A.M.E.R.'s Joint'." He abbreviated, "Jared has always been meant for greatness. I knew it the moment I saw him. And with this, he will be able to hold a power greater than anything in this universe. And we in turn, will have the answers to how all may gain this power."

SoraAlam was dumbstruck by all of this information. Cynical was being used for science, by his own father. He knew Ansem's intentions were in the right place, but at the same time, it disturbed him in a way.

"I don't know what to say." SoraAlam said, shaking his head.

"Then don't say anything."

Quickly, both Ansem and SoraAlam whipped around toward the door to see Cynical standing there, with a most disappointed look on his face.

"Cynical." SoraAlam gasped.

"Jared," Ansem approached his son, but Cynical turned him away quickly.

"Don't, Dad," he said, "I overheard everything."

"Jared, please understand," Ansem pleaded, "I only wanted what was best for you."

"I know you did," Cynical responded, "that's not why I'm upset. I'm upset because you won't let it go. You keep going on and on about how the Keyblade is something I was destined for, but…" Cynical stopped himself, not sure how to answer, just letting out a sigh, "I may be around those who wield the Keyblade, but that doesn't mean that I'll ever be able to wield one. Because I never will."

Ansem, shocked by his son's words, watched Cynical turn away and start exiting the room. SoraAlam, too shocked by what Cynical said, tried to chase after his friend.

"Cynical, wait!" SoraAlam called after the young boy.

But before anyone had any time to react, the glass in front of the computer shattered, as the brown cloaked figure emerged from the wreckage, shooting out knock out pellets at Ansem and Cynical, before grabbing the stunned SoraAlam by the throat.

"You're coming with me." He growled, before knocking the young boy unconscious and disappearing without a trace.

After a few moments, both Cynical and Ansem came to, Ansem coming to his son's aid. "What the heck was that?" Cynical asked, groggily.

"An intruder." Ansem said, before turning to his droid assistants, "3P0, alert the guards. I want this person found."

"Right away sir!" 3P0 replied, "come along, R2."

As the droid duo exited the room, the restoration committee burst into the room, everyone in alarm. "We heard a commotion!" Yuffie exclaimed, "What happened?"

"Someone broke into my laboratory." Ansem explained, "we don't what they stole yet, but-"

"SoraAlam!" Cynical immediately rose from his spot to notice that his best friend was missing, "he was kidnapped!"

"So has Volt," Leon explained, "That's the reason we came over here. The other two haven't been seen either. They might have been captured as well."

"The only question is why?" Cid questioned.

As everyone tried to gather their thoughts, Cynical looked over to see what looked like a note lying on the ground. Moving toward it, he picked it up and read it aloud. "Meet me at the Dark Depths," the note read, "Come alone."

"The Dark Depths?" Yuffie asked, "isn't that where the old Heartless castle is?"

"Exactly," Leon answered, "though why that of all places?"

"It doesn't matter what the reason is, we still have to go after them," Cynical declared, crumpling up the note.

Ansem, concerned for his son's safety, approached the young boy. "Are you sure, son?" He asked, "this sounds awfully like a trap. What if he gets you too?"

"I don't know." Cynical replied, "but it's better to try and do something instead of nothing."

Ansem, seeing the bravery in his son, simply nodded and gave him a pat on the back. "Very well then," he said, "lead the way."

Nodding back to his father, Cynical proceeded to lead the group out of the castle. One way or another, he had to get his friends back. He only hoped he wasn't too late.

* * *

After trekking through the outskirts of the world, Cynical, Ansem, and the rest of the restoration committee made their way past the Great Maw and into the Dark Depths. Though not being as spooky as people were making it out to be, looking out at the rotting heartless castle did make Cynical's hairs stand on end.

Looking around, Cynical's eyes widened when he saw his four friends tied to the mountainside, semi-conscious, though still alive. "Guys!" Cynical exclaimed, managing to wake SoraAlam with his voice.

However, SoraAlam was quick to catch Cynical's attention. "Cynical, stay back!" He cried out, just as the young boy dodged a quick shot from above the group.

Looking up, Cynical noticed the figure in the brown cloak standing on top of the mountainside above where his friends were being held, with what looked like a gun-hand on his left arm.

"I thought I told you to come alone!" The figure shouted.

"Not when my friends' lives are on the line." Cynical argued back.

The figure proceeded to leap down from the mountainside and onto the ground, grinning at the heuristic one under his hood. "Your friends?" The figure inquired, "and here I thought I was your friend."

Though Cynical was initial confused by what this person was talking about, the figure then proceeded to pull back his hood, to reveal his youthful face underneath, and one that Cynical started to recognize.

"Dyne?" Cynical asked.

"Long time, no see, Jared." Dyne replied.

"You're alive." Ansem said, about to approach the two, but Dyne subtly aimed his gun hand at the scientist, causing him to step back.

"I would say more enlightened than anything." Dyne stated, as he moved his weapon to his side, as he and Cynical circled each other.

"Dyne, what is all of this?" Cynical asked.

"The Keyblade is a power that doesn't belong in this world," Dyne explained, "it brings chaos wherever it goes, and leaves nothing but ruins in its place. Don't you remember what happened to this world all those years ago because of it? What happened to our lives? Our families?"

"Things have changed, Dyne." Cynical interjected, "The Keyblade has done all but bring peace to the worlds."

"But what happens when it doesn't, Jared?" Dyne asked again, "what happens when the wielders of these weapons finally realize what they can do with them? They will destroy us all, just like they did before!"

"What are you getting at, Dyne?" Cynical asked.

"No one else is going to suffer the same fates we did, Jared." Dyne answered, "I'm going to eliminate them all. Every single Keyblade wielder wiped from existence, starting with these four!"

Cynical was wide eye at what his friend was talking about. "You can't be serious." He gasped.

"I've never been more serious," Dyne answered, "and I'll prove it."

Quickly, Dyne aimed his gun hand back up at SoraAlam, ready to fire his first round. However, the minute Dyne fired, a massive green shield appeared in front of the young Keyblade wielder, blocking the blast. Cynical then dismissed his shield before glaring at his old friend.

"Dyne, have you lost your mind?!" He yelled, "Think about what you're doing!"

"Stand aside, Jared!" Dyne commanded, "This has to be done."

"What you're doing is wrong!" Cynical argued, "I can't let you do this!"

"This is what our families would have wanted, Jared!" Dyne argued back, "Once the Keyblade has been purged from these worlds, things can go back to the way they always were! Don't you want that? Don't you want justice for what happened? Don't you want what's right?!"

Cynical started to grit his teeth, as his friend wouldn't listen to his plea. Finally, having enough of this nonsense, Cynical flipped his lid. "I don't care about that!" He screamed, "I don't care what you think is right! I don't care what kind of sick grudge you hold! And I most certainly don't give two flying hyenas whether you plan to go through me to get what you want! It doesn't matter if it's you, the Heartless, or some random jack-wagon who decides to tear me apart! I WILL NOT LET YOU HURT MY FRIENDS!"

Suddenly, as Cynical threw his arm out to the side in his fit of rage, everyone's jaw dropped at what had happened. Cynical, suddenly feeling a weight in his hand, looked over to see what he thought he would never see.

In his hand, was a Keyblade.

Everyone was in awe. Ansem in particular was stunned. "It happened." He gasped, "it actually happened."

Dyne, however, was not taking to this very lightly. "You...can wield a Keyblade?" He asked his old friend, incredibly confused.

Cynical, not sure what to say, simply took a deep breathe and answered, "Yes. I can."

Dyne, lowering his head in what looked like grief, suddenly became incredibly bitter. "Then you give me no choice." He growled, as his gun hand suddenly started to shift into a scythe.

Cynical, knowing what his friend meant by that, understood that there was no way out of this. "Fine." He muttered, as he threw his new weapon over his shoulder, and prepared for whatever his former friend had to throw at him.

Quickly, Dyne roared as he dashed at Cynical, slashing down on the boy, as Cynical used his Keyblade to block the attack, though the impact did cause him to lose his balance.

Ansem, worried for his son, attempted to step forward, until Leon stopped him from getting too close. "This is his fight." Leon reminded, as Ansem once again stepped back into place, and watched his son duke it out with his opponent.

Pushing Dyne away, Cynical swung forward with his Keyblade, though Dyne dodged every attack he threw. After Cynical slammed his Keyblade into the ground on one of his attacks, Dyne flipped over the attack and shifted his scythe back to its gun hand form, and started taking shots at Cynical. Quick to notice this, Cynical summoned his shield to block the attacks. But Dyne managed to get the upper hand, as his scythe came swinging fast at Cynical again, until he managed to pin the young boy to the ground.

"You traitor!" Dyne cursed, "you would rather stand beside those who would bring destruction upon us all?"

Using all the strength he could, Cynical tried to push Dyne back, a fire burning in his eyes. "No." He declared, "I would rather stand beside my friends. My true friends!"

Thus, with one final push, Cynical pushed Dyne off of him and slashed his former friend away, unknowingly over the edge of the cliff, though Dyne was able to stick his scythe into the edge of the cliff to stop his fall.

Cynical, seeing his friend go over the edge, got to his feet immediately to see him still hanging there, glaring up at the young boy.

"Dyne!" Cynical called out, reaching his hand, "give me your hand!"

"No, Jared." Dyne growled back, "my judgement of you is final."

Thus, Dyne shifted his scythe again, causing him to fall from the edge and into a pool of darkness sitting at the bottom of the cliff, leaving Cynical to watch in horror as his former friend turned away his help to only fall to his doom.

As Cynical lamented Dyne's actions, the restoration committee moved to help the others out of their restraints. "Are you guys ok?" Leon asked.

"Considering this is not the first time this has happened, yeah I guess we are all fine." HMK answered, rubbing his wrists.

"At least we don't have to worry about it happening again." Volt reassured, as he released himself from his restraints. However, when he got back to his feet, he suddenly felt a jolt of pain in his back.

"Volt, you ok?" Sky asked, helping the young boy to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Volt answered, "he just cut me across the back, I should be good."

Upon further inspection, Aerith said differently. "That's a Phantom Cut," she explained, "those don't heal with a simple potion or cure spell."

"You mean he's stuck with it?" HMK asked.

"No, it can be healed," Aerith reassured him, "it's just going to take a bit longer than usual."

"Great," Volt groaned sarcastically, as the group helped carry him away from the mountainside.

As the group moved over, Ansem looked out to see Cynical still staring out over the edge of the cliff. Curious as to what his son was up to, Ansem came to the young boy's side.

"I had known him all my life." Cynical said, "I never thought that I would ever lose him like this."

Ansem sighed, "Losing friends is never easy." He explained, "however, where we lose old ones, new ones are gained." Ansem motioned toward the group, to which Cynical smiled. "They are a peculiar group, but I can tell that they make you happy. And I know that you all will find a way to set things right."

"You're sure we can do it?" Cynical asked.

Ansem pointed to Cynical's new Keyblade, which he still had gripped in his hand. "If there is anything that I have learned in all of my years, it is that the Keyblade has guided many to their destiny." He explained, "From where it stands, I can say definitively, that your destiny is almost upon you. And I could not be more proud of you."

Cynical, not sure what exactly to say, simply gave his father a great big hug, which Ansem lovingly received. "Thanks, Dad." He said, to which Ansem chuckled.

Over with the group, everyone else was preparing to depart. "You sure your going to to be ok here, Volt?" SoraAlam asked.

"I told you, I'll be fine," Volt insisted, trying to balance himself, "Aerith is one of the greatest healers out there. With her help I'll be back on my feet in no time."

"Well if you say so." SoraAlam shrugged.

"That reminds me though," Volt remembered as reached into his pocket to pull out his small booklet, "I want you guys to have this."

"Your Electric Journal?" SoraAlam asked.

"I won't be needing it here." Volt responded, "Besides, I want to hear all about how you guys saved the worlds when you get back."

"We will." SoraAlam laughed.

"We stocked up on all of yer supplies." Cid pointed out, "And we also threw in a little special something from us."

Sky, reaching into his satchel, pulled out what resembled a small keychain in the shape of a crown. Upon further inspection, they realized what it was.

"A D-Link?" Sky wondered, observing the object.

"The Kingdom Call Mark VII." Cid called it. "Whipped it up myself, just in case one of ya'll gets into too much trouble and need a little help from us."

"Cool!" SoraAlam said, "I've always wanted one of these." After geeking out over their new toy, the young Keyblade wielder looked over to see Cynical, in a very proud looking mood, approaching with Ansem.

"Hey, you ok?" SoraAlam asked after seeing his friend's unreadable face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Cynical answered, looking down at his Keyblade, "just trying to take this thing in is all."

"I knew you could wield one." SoraAlam responded, "You just needed a little push is all." Cynical laughed, while Sky and HMK approached the duo.

"So," HMK interjected, "shall we be off?"

"Yeah," Cynical answered, "let's get going."

Thus, looking down at his new weapon with a smile, Cynical threw his Keyblade off into the distance, and before long, his new Keyblade glider appeared in what looked like the form of a fighter plane, with what looked like scythes for wings and a small propeller in the front. Wasting no time, Cynical hopped aboard his new ride, before looking back to see his father smiling at him.

"Good luck, son." Ansem said, to which Cynical nodded.

Finally, turning back to the sky in front of him, Cynical let out a loud "WOO-HOO!" as he quickly blasted off.

"Sheesh, he takes off quicker than me!" Sky admitted, as he, as well as SoraAlam and HMK, summoned their own gliders and blasted off after their friend into the lanes between, leaving a blink of light behind them.

* * *

**So, yeah, I'm pretty sure I can call this my favourite chapter I've written so far...**

**Yes, after long last, Cynical finally got his Keyblade, "Final Judgement"! When I decided that this was the route I wanted to go with his character, I immediately had this idea in my head, and I'm so glad that it turned out as well as it did. Hopefully it was as epic as I imagined. ;) **

**Additionally, we were introduced to Dyne from Final Fantasy VII in this chapter. Knowing Dyne's backstory in FFVII, it made total sense to include him into Cynical's backstory. Also, just to point out, if I was to ever have a sequel to this story, Dyne's motives have technically hinted at what may be about. But that's all I'm saying! **

**Also, I added SoraAlam's Kingdom Call to the story, just as another fun callback to the stuff on each of these guys' channels :)**

**So, with all of that said, I can officially say we've hit what I like to call the "Mid-Season" point, meaning that we are near the homestretch of the story! If you'd like to know exactly how far we have left to go, I left a special something on the X-Keeper's Facebook page for you guys to check out...**

**But with that said, that concludes today's chapter! As always folks, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

**P.S. Props to anyone who can find the Firefly reference!**


	17. Hype Master King

**Hello everyone, and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Well folks, if you've see the teaser poster I posted on the X-Keepers' Facebook page, then you know that we have, counting today's chapter, only 9 chapters left! And not only that, but also starting today, these 9 chapters will be posted daily, meaning that our next chapter will be posted tomorrow, and so forth. **

**To say I'm hyped for how all of this is going to go down is a bit of an understatement, but instead of just dwindling on how awesome this all is, lets just jump right into today's chapter. Enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney**

* * *

CHAPTER 17

The group continued to fly through the shining solar skies of the lanes between, though they were all a lot quieter than usual.

Something was on all of their minds from what just happened in the last world, but didn't know whether or not they should discuss it, or just let it be. However, after a few minutes of quiet, Skyward Wing was the first to break the silence.

"Ok, I'll say it…" he said, "Cynical, you're new Keyblade is AWESOME!"

Immediately, the group just started collectively geeking out over the heuristic one's new item. "I know!" HMK chimed in, "it's got that super cool scythe motif going on, it's so wicked."

"And that green!" Sky added on, "and here I thought your clothes were emerald enough, but now you got the whole package!"

"Heck, even your Keyblade glider is pretty unique," SoraAlam joined in, "I don't think I've seen a design quite like it."

Cynical laughed, "Thanks, guys." He said, "I appreciate all of that, but, you have to keep in mind, I'm still very new to this."

"Eh, it's not that hard to get the hang of it." HMK stated, "After all, you seem to be steering your glider just fine."

"We do get it though, Cynical." SoraAlam reminded, "and we'll definitely help you out. That is what friends are for, after all." Cynical smiled, thankful that his friend was being so sincere.

"We should probably find a good place to settle then," Sky point out, "Pretty sure it would be difficult to teach someone about the Keyblade while you're using it to fly."

"Actually, I know a place that's perfect for that." HMK stated, catching everyone off guard.

"You know a place?" Sky asked, "that's certainly a change of pace."

"It's right up here actually." The hectic one pointed out, as he flew ahead of the group, who all looked ahead to see where their friend was leading them.

Upon more flying, the group finally came across a giant neon-colored sphere, with several Gummi ships and space cruisers flying around it, while lots of cheering could be heard in the distance.

"Oh, of course." Sky realized, upon laying eyes on the world that HMK was leading them to…

"The Mirage Arena!"

* * *

Traversing through the numerous cruisers, the group finally came to the nearby landing pads, dismissing their gliders and taking in the massive lobby that they stepped into, and the many people who surrounded it.

"Woah," Cynical exclaimed, "this place is huge!"

"And has gone through quite the redesign." Sky noted, examining the new architecture.

"This place must have everything." SoraAlam added to that.

"Technically, yeah, it does." HMK told his friend, "From Rumble Racing, to Blitzball, heck even the Command Board. And at the the centre of it all…"

HMK led the group over to a massive electronic scoreboard, where several names were plastered across, with the world's logo spotted up top.

"The Mirage Tournaments." HMK called it, "fighters all of over the universe would come and battle for a chance at the title."

"What title?" SoraAlam asked.

HMK was about to answer, until he, as well as the rest of the group, noticed a small crowd gathered around something off in the distance, with a small but feisty voice coming from the centre of it. Deciding to investigate, the group wandered over toward the crowd, hearing the small voice clearer.

"Ok, so there we were," they heard the voice say, "Shadows and Soldiers on both of our sides. Me with my guns, and him with…well him, we started cleaning house for the longest time." As the group got closer, they managed to see who everyone was looking at, seeing that the person narrating, wasn't even a person at all…it was a raccoon.

"Then, this huge Guard Armor comes down, and just starts wrecking our stuff. For a second, I thought we were done for." The raccoon kept talking, now pointing beside him to what looked like a tree-like person of sorts, "But then, out of nowhere, this guy straight up stabs the armor with only his hand, crushes the inside, and wins us the match in no time!"

The tree like person smiled cutely, making the crowd chuckle. "So, the moral of the story is," the raccoon continued, "never underestimate your partner, because they will more than likely be the one to save your butt." As the raccoon finished his story, the crowd started to depart, leaving him and the tree like person to themselves.

"What did I tell you, buddy? They eat that story up every time." The raccoon said enthusiastically.

"I am Groot." The tree person responded.

"Well, yeah, ok, I did over-exaggerate a few things," the raccoon replied, "but hey, still made for an interesting story."

"One that you've probably told way too many times."

"Now who-" the raccoon was about to reply until he turned around to see HMK smirking at him. "Well, well, well," he instead responded with a grin, "if it isn't the Hype Master King himself. Hectic M. Killa."

"Nice to see you too, Rocket." HMK answered, fist pounding the raccoon, "Groot, pleasure as always."

"I am Groot." Groot responded happily.

Turning to the group, HMK introduced his friends to the two creatures. "Guys, this is Rocket Raccoon, one of the Mirage Arena's top fighters." He said, "and his partner in crime, Groot."

Groot waved at the three other Keyblade wielders, "I am Groot." He greeted.

"Why does he keep saying that?" Cynical asked nicely.

"He has a bit a speech impediment." HMK answered, "the only word vocabulary that he has is limited to the words 'I', 'am', and 'Groot'. Particularly in that order."

"He makes up for it in personality." Rocket laughed, "so, what brings a champion like you around these parts?"

"Well, one of my friends just got his first Keyblade." HMK answered, pointing behind him at Cynical.

Rocket jumped off the table as he approached the heuristic one. "A new Keyblade Wielder, you say?" He said enthusiastically, "you're pretty lucky to be using such a bonafide weapon. Especially in the presence of the Hype Master King."

"The Hype Master King?" SoraAlam questioned, "what's that?"

"What's that?" Rocket repeated, "only the most prestigious title in the Mirage Tournaments!"

"Wait a minute," Sky was piecing together the story, "HMK, you hold the title in the tournament?"

HMK rubbed the back of his neck, "Well…" He sort of trailed off, but everyone could get the gist.

"How have you even been here before?" SoraAlam asked, "Master Aqua has never let us go off world."

"Yeah, see, Lea actually used to bring me here a lot early on in my training." HMK explained, "I guess over time I just got good enough around here that I sort of ended up making a name for myself."

"Making a name for yourself is quite the understatement, kid." Rocket pointed out turning to the group, "You gentlemen happen to be in the company of one of the greatest fighters the Mirage Arena has ever seen. Anybody with a brain in their head would most certainly think twice before messing with someone as powerful as Hectic M. Killa right here."

"Hectic M. Killa." Sky smirked, "I thought 'HMK' were initials for something. Though what exactly does the M stands for?"

"Honestly, man, it can be whatever you want it to be." HMK shrugged.

Deciding to steer the conversation back on topic, Rocket turned back to his hectic friend. "Anyway, if you guys are looking for a reason to bust out your Keys, there's a new tournament starting up." Rocket told them, "and knowing you, I'm pretty sure you would look for any reason to defend your title."

HMK laughed as he shook the raccoon's hand, "You better bank on it!" He said, excited, "After all, I've got some new moves that I've been wanting to try out."

"That's the spirit!" Rocket exclaimed, as he started to take off, "I'll see you out there, champ. C'mon, Groot, let's get going."

"I am Groot." Groot waved goodbye to the group, as he and Rocket headed of toward the main arena.

"You know, Cynical," Sky told his friend, "this could be just the thing you need to help you train with the Keyblade."

"Are you sure?" Cynical asked, "these tournaments sound like a big deal. What if I'm not prepared?"

"Trust me, in comparison to what we've already faced, these guys are pushovers in comparison." HMK reassured him.

Cynical, feeling assured thanks to his friends, decided that maybe signing up for this tournament didn't sound all that bad. "Alright then," he said with a nod, "I'll do it."

"I think I'll sign up too." SoraAlam added on, resting his hands behind his head, "who knows, this could be a lot of fun."

"How about you, Sky?" HMK asked the young Keyblade master, "feeling up to it?"

"I think I'll pass this time." Sky answered, "Besides, it'll be interesting to see things from an outside point of view for a change."

HMK shrugged, "Ok then." He said, "We're going to go sign up."

"Good luck." Sky wished them, as the three headed of toward the arena.

As they left, Sky turned to go take a seat in the stands, but as he did, he suddenly felt as though something was off. He looked around, suspiciously curious as to what was going on around him, until he came to the conclusion that he must just be imagining things. Thus, he just kept walking.

However, around the corner, Loki watched as everyone went their separate ways, and grinned, as his plan was finally starting to come to light. "Luck is going to be the one thing you need most." He mumbled, as he disappeared in the darkness, ready to make his move.

* * *

"_Hey-o and whaddya know! Welcome to the Mirage Arena Tournament! The ultimate fighting championship that pits the universe's greatest fighters against each other in a battle for the Mirage Arena's ultimate title of Hype Master King! Joining me today is our very own arena side correspondent, Ken Clark!" _

"_Thanks Chuck! Today-"_

"_Thank you, Ken! Let's take a look at our competitors! Well, it looks like we have a couple of new fighters entering today, and a surprise return from our reigning champion and current Hype Master King! Hectic M. Killa!" _

"_It's been quite some time since we've seen HMK entering the tournaments, Chuck, but will he be able to defend his ti-"_

"_We're going to have to wait and find out! But it seems that he is not alone in this competition, as we have two other Keyblade wielders entering the tournament. Two young lads by the names of SoraAlam and Cynical!" _

"_That's right, Chuck! And to determine which Keyblade wielder will be qualifying for the tournament, they will be going head to head in the preliminary round."_

"_Let's take a look and see who will be advancing!" _

The crowd roared and cheered as SoraAlam and Cynical walked into the massive stadium, as the two Keyblade wielders looked around at the neon colored area in which they had to duel one another.

Turning to face each other, Cynical looked around unsure of what to do, while SoraAlam tried to get his friend's attention.

"Hey," SoraAlam called out, "whatever happens, we're both winners. Just like the master always says."

Cynical, now feeling a bit up to the challenge, summoned his Keyblade. "Right." He said, more self assured.

SoraAlam, smiling at his best friend's newfound courage, summoned his own Keyblade, as their duel began.

"_And our battalions are off! SoraAlam quickly taking the defensive, while Cynical is giving his all right out of the gate." _

"_From what we've heard, Chuck, Cynical just came into contact with his own Keyblade very recently, so that fact that he's fighting this well is quite astounding." _

"_Almost as astounding as SoraAlam's Magic usage! Whoever taught the kid how to use his Fires and Blizzards must have been a gifted Mage!"_

"_Cynical appears to be using his opponent's momentum to his advantage. It's going to be clo-"_

"_OH! Cynical goes down for the count! SoraAlam has his opponent right where he wants him! This could be all over!" _

"_But wait…SoraAlam is over his opponent…and-"_

"_WHAT A COMEBACK! Cynical, taking his opponent by suprise! He is moving to the semi-finals! What a match, folks!" _

As the crowd cheered and roared for him, Cynical moved to help SoraAlam up to his feet.

"Not bad," SoraAlam congratulated his friend, "you must be a quick learner."

"Well, just because I've never used a Keyblade doesn't mean I don't know how to fight." Cynical pointed out.

SoraAlam laughed, "True enough. Good luck then, buddy." He then patted Cynical on the shoulder as he proceeded out of the stadium, as the crowd still continued to chant Cynical's name.

* * *

As he made back into the lobby, SoraAlam looked ahead to see Sky looking at him with a smirk.

"You let him win, didn't you?" Sky asked smartly.

"What?" SoraAlam asked dumbly, but Sky raised an eyebrow. "Ok, yes, I did." He then admitted, "but to be fair, Cynical did put up a good fight. And he did actually get that comeback fair and square."

"Sure he did." Sky sarcastically agreed,

Rolling his eyes, SoraAlam decided to change the topic. "How's HMK making out?" He asked, to which Sky simply pointed up at the screen.

"Take a look for yourself," Sky remarked, as the duo looked on to see HMK coming out victorious on his first match, basking in the cheering around him.

"He really knows how to rile up a crowd." SoraAlam said.

"Well he is 'the Hype Master King'." Sky pointed out, as the duo headed over toward the crowd to see their friend.

HMK, heading out of his stadium and into the lobby, sidestepped his chanting crowd to see his friends. "Well, how did I do?" He asked them.

"You certainly hold that champion part true." Sky told him.

"Get this," HMK told his friends, "apparently my next opponents are forfeiting, so I'm being pushed to the finals by default."

"Really? Why?" SoraAlam asked.

"Dunno." HMK said, folding his arms, "probably because they've now seen how good I am."

"Yeah, that's probably it." Sky nodded, though a hint of sarcasm could be heard in his voice.

Seeing as there were only three of them there, HMK looked around for the missing heuristic one. "Where's Cynical?" He asked.

"He beat me out of the qualifier round," SoraAlam told him, "he's probably got his hands full with matches now."

"Cool!" HMK remarked, "maybe I might see him at the end of this…"

HMK then started to trail off, as off in the distance, he looked to see what almost looked like none other than Umbrella Dispatch hiding behind the corner, looking straight at him, with a very worried face. Seeing that he had noticed her, Dispatch quickly turned around the corner, leaving HMK confused.

"Hey, you alright?" Sky asked, snapping his fingers in his friend's face.

Snapping out of it, HMK started moving around his friends toward the corner. "Yeah, I'm fine," he responded, "I'm just going to check out something. I'll see you guys at the finals."

As their friend took off around the corner, SoraAlam and Sky looked at each other, confused, though they just shrugged it off, as they were sure HMK knew what he was doing.

Meanwhile, HMK continued down the hallway, following Dispatch around each corner. Confused as to what his girlfriend was doing here, considering that she was in a completely different world when they left her, he tried to catch up with her for some answers.

As he rounded the last corner, he noticed that she had come to a dead end, leaving her nowhere to go. "Hey! Dispatch, is that you? Wait up!" He called out to her, eventually catching up to her, as she turned around to face the hectic one, wearing a face that was nothing less of fright.

"No! HMK, please, stay back!" She cried out, but it was too late, as right before a confused HMK was able to get any closer to her, a puff of green smoke exploded in front of the two of them, and as the smoke cleared, Loki stood between the two, grinning at HMK.

"Greetings, oh hectic one," he said cheerfully, as the God of Mischief proceeded to clobber the young Keyblade wielder with his staff, leaving everything for HMK to go black.

* * *

After what seemed like eons, HMK finally started coming to, though with more of an annoyed groan than anything.

"Why does it always have to be me constantly being knocked out?" He whined, as he soon felt the constraints around his wrists and legs, revealing he was tied to a chair.

"HMK!" At the sound of that voice, HMK looked across the darkly lit room to see Dispatch also in restraints, but was tied to a pole.

"Dispatch!" He cried out, trying to wiggle his way through his restraints, but they just wouldn't budge.

"I wouldn't struggle if I were you." HMK, looking back from his restraints, saw Loki emerge from behind him, walking around until he was in view of the hectic one. "So, you are the one they are after." He stated, "Fascinating. You too show quite an interest in the darkness. Yet you chose not to let it consume you. Let it make you who you are."

"It's not who I am!" HMK growled, "You might as well quit while you're ahead. Because if there's anything that I've learned recently, it's that the darkness is mine to control. Not the other way around."

Loki simply grinned at the young boy. "Is that so?" He inquired, "then let's see if your thoughts stay true."

Then quickly, Loki raised the tip of his scepter up toward HMK's chest, lightly pressing it against him, while the light at his tip started to furiously glow and an outpour of darkness started to fill HMK.

The young Keyblade wielder winced in pain. "What are you doing to me?" HMK cried out.

"The darkness is powerful enough to consume all that stands in its way." Loki said, "and if you let it into your heart, you will know the true meaning of control."

HMK, fearing what Loki was talking about, looked over to see Dispatch looking on in sheer horror, as the young Keyblade wielder continued to scream out in absolute pain, while the God the Mischief started to manically laugh, as he continued to overthrow the young boy's darkening heart and take control of his now fractured mind.

* * *

**Well, if anyone has seen The Avengers, you pretty much know how this scene is more than likely going to end...**

**But, Loki is not the only Marvel character who is now in this story, as we have now been introduced to two more Marvel characters: Rocket Raccoon and Groot! While people are going off the rails about not wanting the Avengers in Kingdom Hearts (myself included) people forget that there is another MCU property that could fit just as well if not better: Guardians of the Galaxy. But, I'll just leave it at that.**

**Also, for those who are wondering about the two announcers, both Chuck and Ken are actually from An Extremely Goofy Movie, and I thought it would be a funny addition having them commentate for the Mirage Arena. **

**Speaking of the Mirage Arena, just like Radiant Garden, this world has also gotten a redesign in my version. Picture a Tron-esque version of The Gold Saucer (FFVII) mixed with the Cato Neimoidia arena from Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II. **

**But with that all said, this brings us to the end of today's chapter! Like I said before guys, all of the final 9 chapters are now being poster daily, so be sure to tune in tomorrow for the continuing adventures! So, until next time, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! **


	18. Dark Interference

**Hello everyone and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**So, I posted a teaser poster for this chapter on The X-Keepers Facebook page not too long ago, so if you've seen it, you pretty know what this chapter shall contain. But instead of me talking about it, lets just dive right into the newest chapter. Enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney**

* * *

CHAPTER 18

"_And Dio goes down! Cynical advances to the finals! What an absolutly astounding turn of events!" _

"_You got that right, Chuck! Cynical truly has been the underdog of the tournament, and now to see him advance this far is-"_

"_Innnnncredible! Lets take a look at the the leaderboard now! According to the second bracket, it looks as though all of our other combatants have mysteriously forfeited, leaving the only contestant left to compete in the finals none other than Hectic M. Killa!"_

"_This sounds like it's going to be a matchup of the century, folks, and we hope you-"_

"_We'll keep you up to date on everything thus far in just a moment. Until then, a word from our sponsors!"_

Exiting the stadium, Cynical tried to catch his breath. All of these matches were starting to take their toll on him in more ways than one. But that didn't mean he planned on slowing down anytime soon, especially considering how far he's made it now.

As his composure returned to him, Cynical looked to see Skyward Wing and SoraAlam approaching.

"Hey, way to go, Cynical!" SoraAlam said cheerfully, "We knew you could do it."

"Thanks," Cynical replied, taking a swig of one of his potions, "though I think HMK might have stretched that 'pushover' term a little too far. I mean these guys are crazy powerful."

"Hey, you were able to make it this far," Sky reminded him, "that makes you just as if not more powerful than all of these guys."

Cynical shrugged, "True enough," he said, until he looked around to notice that the Hype Master King in question was not amongst the group. "Where is HMK?" Cynical asked.

"He's probably off stocking up at one of the shops." SoraAlam answered, "He's supposed to be going into the finals with you."

"_Hold on to your hats folks! The Mirage Tournament Finals are about to begin in a few moments!" _

The trio looked up to see that the stadium was starting to fill up again, meaning that the Finals were starting soon.

"Well, if that's the case, then I better go meet him in the arena." Cynical told them, heading back for the entrance to the stadium.

"Good luck out there!" SoraAlam called out to his friend.

"Try and not hurt him too much." Sky joked, as the door closed behind the heuristic one, leaving the two in the lobby.

"You honestly think he could best HMK?" SoraAlam asked.

"I've seen miracles happen before." Sky simply replied, as the two headed back towards the stadium.

* * *

"_It's that time, folks, where our final two combatants enter into their final match! Both may be powerful, but only one is going to be able to walk away from this, hopefully, unscathed!" _

"_Both of our combatants have been on point for most of this tournament, Chuck! So it really makes you wonder-"_

"_Let's welcome our fighters into the ring! First up, the underdog of our Keyblade wielding combatants, and rising fan favorite of the tournament: Cynical!" _

The crowd roared as the heuristic one entered the stadium, looking around with a big smile on his face and taking in the incredible support he was getting. Looking into the crowd, Cynical saw SoraAlam and Sky sitting high up, cheering him on, to which he gave them a thumbs up. Stopping a quarter way into the arena, Cynical then looked ahead at the opposing door, waiting for his friend to emerge from it.

"_And combatant number 2. Our defending champion, and the embodiment of everything that is the title of Hype Master King. Just mentioning his name gives me goosebumps, Chuck, it's nuts! He is the one…the only-"_

"_Hectic M. Killa!" _

As the crowd, as well as the announcers, went nuts, the opposing door opened across from Cynical, and as the smoke cleared from the air, HMK emerged from the entrance.

However, unbeknownst to everyone, his eyes glowed a strange, mystic color, that was hidden under his sunglasses, though his mood still exhibited something quite darker than usual.

Slowly walking into the cheering arena, HMK held his glomming stare on Cynical, who was none the wiser to what was going on while he summoned his Keyblade, as the hectic one himself summoned his own blade to his hand. As he held it up into his fighting stance, a small whisper could be heard in his clouded head. "The darkness is your friend." The voice said, "they are your enemy. Destroy them."

"_And our combatants are off! Cynical immediately trying to go for the offensive, while Hectic M. Killa looks to have a few tricks up his sleeve." _

"_HMK, hoping to find an opening. Still calm as ever, very surprising for someone such as-" _

"_And there's his opening! Hectic M. Killa, taking his opponent by surprise, and absolutely giving his all." _

"_He is really determined to keep his title, Chuck, and this ferociousness is a good example of-" _

"_Look at that Attack speed! Cynical is reeling from every attack! This could be all over!" _

"_HMK, closing in on his opponent. The crowd is going absolutely nuts!" _

"_And he's done it! Cynical goes down, leaving our reigning champion to once again claim the title of Hype Master King! Hectic M. Killa!"_

The crowd roared from their seats as the victory music played throughout the stadium. Cynical, dismissing his Keyblade, got to his feet, a little worn out from the match, as he approached his friend.

"I should have known you weren't going to hold back." He told him, as he went to shake his friend's hand, "Congrats, man."

However, before Cynical had any time to react, HMK quickly swung his Keyblade upward, uppercutting Cynical and sending him flying backwards in the air. The entire audience gasped at what just happened, as Cynical landed back on the ground with a thud, rolling along the ground until he stopped before edge of the arena.

"_Hold the phone, folks! Something is still going on in the arena!" _

Cynical, limping to get to his feet, quickly summoned his Keyblade back to him to block HMK incoming attack, as the hectic one started fiercely pinning the young boy to the ground.

"HMK, what are you doing?!" Cynical grunted, trying to keep his friend off of him, but to no avail, as the fiery Keyblade wielder slashed through Cynical's blocking and knocked the young boy over to the side.

Meanwhile in the crowd, SoraAlam and Sky looked on in horror as they watched their friend be attacked by their other friend.

"What the heck is HMK doing?!" SoraAlam exclaimed.

Sky was about to respond, until he looked across the way to notice a bright light coming from one of the booths. Sky squinted his eyes better to see, only to have his suspicions confirmed when he saw a man in dark green clothing holding his glowing scepter out toward where HMK was pummeling Cynical.

"Loki." Sky growled.

"Who?" SoraAlam asked, confused as to who Sky was talking about.

"The God of Mischief." Sky elaborated, "He's been causing trouble in the worlds for who knows how long. And right now, he's using his magic to control HMK's darkness."

"Well, what do we do?" SoraAlam asked impatiently.

"You go after Loki." Sky planned, "He has a scepter that he uses for his more powerful magic. Destroy it, and HMK should come back to his senses.

"Wait, if you know more about this guy, then why am I going after him?" SoraAlam questioned.

"Your Magic skills are much better than my own." Sky stated, "They should be enough to compete with his."

"Well, ok, then what are you going to do?" SoraAlam questioned his friend.

"I'm going to try and buy Cynical some time to get out of there." Sky answered, rising from his seat.

"How?" SoraAlam asked again.

"By seeing if the 'Hype Master King' can live up to his name." Sky answered in a stern tone, as he summoned a gust of wind around him, propelling him into the air, and over the crowd, until he landed at the edge of the arena floor.

Across the arena floor, HMK had Cynical pinned up against the wall with a flamethrower attack from his hands, while the heuristic one tried to use his shield to block the oncoming blast of fire, but to no avail. But before the hectic one could use one more ounce of his strength to put the young boy down for good, he heard a familiar voice call from the other end of the arena.

"Hey!" Sky called out, "You want someone to fight? Fight me!"

HMK, dropping his fire attack, looked over to see Sky summoning his Keyblade, with a glare in his eyes. Kicking the weak Cynical to the side, HMK turned to face his new opponent.

"Of all the people, it had to be you." HMK said in an unusually dark, booming tone, as he summoned his Keyblade back to him. "Fine. I'm game." He answered, dropping into his battle stance, "Prepare to get smashed, brah!"

"Please tell me you did not just say that." Sky groaned.

As a sinister grin fell upon his face, HMK dashed for Sky, leaping up into the air ready to bring down his blade. Sky, in turn, watched as the hectic one flew high in air about to attack him, as he felt as though time was slowing down.

Somehow he knew that this was going to happen, and as he saw the darkness seep out of his friend, he knew that he had to act. Thus as HMK came down toward him, Sky heavily swung his Keyblade against HMK's own blade, blocking the hectic one's attack and sending a minor shockwave across the entire arena from where their blades had crossed.

As the two boys held their blades locked, Sky pushed with all his might until he managed to push HMK off of him, back into the air, where the hectic one started throwing fire attacks down at Sky. Sky, quick to notice this, summoned Aeroga to dispel the fire, before he saw HMK swing down toward him, dodging out of the way as the hectic one came back down to the ground before swinging at Sky again, who effortlessly starting blocking the incoming attacks.

Trying to keep up with the young Keyblade master, HMK tried to slash through Sky, but Sky in retaliation leaped over HMK, appearing behind the possessed Keyblade wielder, as the two once again locked blades.

Staring into HMK rage filled eyes, Sky could almost feel the darkness that his friend was exhibiting, and knew he had to contain him for just a little bit longer. Thus, he quickly slashed HMK away, and after dismissing his Keyblade, quickly threw his hands together to summon a massive blast of Blizzaga, trapping HMK in a huge block of ice.

Lightly panting, Sky backed away, trying to catch his breath, think his friend was trapped for the time being. However, the minute he turned his back, a small rumble occurred behind him, and before he knew it, the ice around HMK exploded in a firey blaze, as the hectic one emerged from the frost in flames, glaring at the skyward one.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Sky groaned, as he summoned his Keyblade back before HMK leaped at him again.

* * *

Loki grinned as he watched HMK duel Sky from his booth above the arena. His scepter's light burned strong as he held it tightly in his hand, watching the two boys fight with glee, knowing that his goal was being achieved.

"Soon, his darkness will overtake him," Loki told Dispatch, whom was standing behind him, still bound to her restraints, "and he will become one with his true self. Just as they wished."

"Not unless I have anything to say about it!"

Hearing a voice call out behind him, Loki turned around to see SoraAlam standing triumphantly at the door. Loki looked closely at the boy, until he realized who he was.

"They told me you would be here." Loki mentioned ambiguously, "It seems even you can't resist this place's challenges."

SoraAlam, confused by what the God was blabbering on about, didn't back down. "Listen, Loki, right?" He said, "People are going to get seriously hurt if this doesn't stop."

"Ah, but isn't that the point?" Loki asked mischievously, "Besides, where's the harm in a fun little game?"

"You call this fun?" SoraAlam questioned.

"Well, ok, 'fun' may be the wrong terminology." Loki corrected, "Let's instead say, it's necessary. Now, seeing as how my masters have no need for you interfering, do you have a preference for how you wish to seal your fate?"

"Maybe." SoraAlam replied smartly, "But just a word of warning, there's seems to be a small problem with you're 'fun little game'."

"Oh really?" Loki said, amused with where this was going, "And do pray tell, what would that be?"

"Simple," SoraAlam answered, summoning his Keyblade, "I'm not playing!"

Quickly, SoraAlam fired off a quick Blizzara shot at Loki, who used Reflect to block the attack. Loki, quick to retaliate, fired off a blast of energy from his scepter in SoraAlam's direction, but the young Keyblade wielder was already far out of the way, and had already grabbed Dispatch and moved her from Loki's reach.

"Are you ok?" SoraAlam asked her, using his Keyblade to slash her restraints, freeing her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Dispatch responded, before she looked behind SoraAlam, "Look out!"

Quickly, SoraAlam pulled the two of them away as Loki came down with his scepter, slashing all around before firing off more spells in SoraAlam's direction. Dispatch, hiding behind nearby furniture, watched as SoraAlam dashed at Loki, trying to no avail to get in a clear hit at the God of Mischief. Loki, being much faster than SoraAlam predicted, dodged all of the young boy's attacks before swiftly knocking him backwards and into Dispatch's hiding spot, leaving the two of them out in the open.

Loki, having his opponents right where he wants them, summoned a swarm of Neoshadows, that instantly started closing in on the the trapped SoraAlam and Dispatch.

"I grow tired of this nonsense." Loki stated, charging his scepter's blast, "You are, all of you are beneath me. I am a God! And I will n-"

Before Loki could finish taunting the two, the ceiling above them collapsed, and from it, Rocket and Groot leaped down from the collapsed ceiling, Rocket sitting in Groot's shoulders, as the large tree figure shielded SoraAlam and Dispatch.

Rocket, seeing the surprised look on Loki's face, just simply smirked, cocking his massive blaster, and said, "Oh…yeah."

Then quickly, both Rocket and Groot proudly roared at the top of their lungs as the duo started devastating the Heartless swarm. Rocket fired off his blaster in every which direction, destroying half of the swarm with ease, while Groot quickly pummelled the other half while also knocking Loki to the side, causing the God of Mischief to drop his scepter.

Quickly, SoraAlam dashed for the scepter, picking it up off the ground, much to Loki's anguish, though the God didn't have the chance to move for it before Groot got ahold of him and started whipping him around like a rag doll until he was knocked out for the time being. Thus, knowing he was down for the count, SoraAlam took the still glowing scepter and prepared to smash it.

* * *

Meanwhile back in the arena, Sky still tried to contain his battle with HMK, but the hectic one's rage and strength were starting to become more strenuous towards Sky the more they fought. At almost every which way, HMK threw some kind of attack at Sky, never giving the young Keyblade master any time to catch his breath. Occasionally, Sky would throw a magic attack of some kind towards HMK's way, but even that did so much before his opponent found a way to retaliate.

As their battle waged on, Sky quickly tried to overtake his opponent, slashing every which way he could at HMK, and even managing to hit him a few times. However, HMK quickly found a way to counter Sky, and in one quick motion, slashed Sky right across the face with his Keyblade before kicking him across the arena.

"Had enough?!" HMK taunted, still in his dark booming voice.

Sky, slowly getting to his feet, turned around toward HMK, with a large glare on his face, and now a small slash across his left eye that was burning a bright light.

"Please," Sky growled back, "I'm just getting warmed up."

HMK, shocked at the young boy's unwillingness to give up, furiously roared as he charged full force at Sky, who was now in his own form of unkempt fury.

The two Keyblade wielders clashed again, each one now throwing a more brutal attack than the other. Sky was constantly throwing Quake at his opponent, but HMK was still leaping off each pillar Sky had summoned, only to throw more of his signature fire attacks at the young boy.

Though he still kept ahead of his opponent, HMK was still very unfocused, being blinded by the rage inside him. And Sky knew that all to well, as he kept using HMK's momentum to keep up, before he felt it was his opportune moment to strike.

However, right before Sky went in for his finishing blow, the glow in HMK's eyes started to dwindled away, as Loki's power over him had dropped. But before he had any time to regain his composure, Sky quickly and swiftly uppercutted HMK with his Keyblade, sending the now dazed hectic one flying to the other side of the arena, finally defeated.

After seeing his opponent go down, Sky, too, fell to his knees, exhausted. Above him in one of the booths, a sudden smash emerged from the glass as Groot, carrying Rocket, SoraAlam and Dispatch, flew down into the arena, as SoraAlam and the now fully restored Cynical, who was healing off in the wings, came to Sky's side.

"Sky, are you alright?" SoraAlam asked, helping his friend to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sky responded, a bit raspier than usual, as he was able to stand.

Farther away from the group, HMK sat up from his attack, feeling a sense of weakness, though his mind was now under his control again. However, he looked around at all of the damage that his fight with Sky had caused to the arena, as well as looking over to see the injured faces of the friends he had hurt in the process.

Looking down at his hands, HMK saw a small glimmer of darkness wither from his hands, making him realize what exactly he did, and realize who he would be capable of hurting if he did something like he just did. He was only fooling himself. He couldn't control his darkness, no matter how hard he tried. And knowing this, he couldn't let others get hurt by his hand.

As the group helped Sky walk, SoraAlam looked of the corner of his eye to see HMK summoning his Keyblade glider and taking off out of the arena and into the lanes between.

"HMK!" SoraAlam tried to call after his friend, but he was already long gone. The group caught wind of what happened, and also saw HMK take off without them. "We have to go after him." SoraAlam told them.

"Groot and I will cover the damages." Rocket assured the group, "You guys get going."

Nodding, the group summoned their own Keyblade gliders as they all flew out of the arena and back out into the lanes between, hoping HMK had not gone too far.

* * *

**As Ron Burgundy once said: "Well that escalated quickly." **

**So yeah, we finally got our big Sky VS HMK fight. This was probably the one sequence in the story that I had the most fun writing, and is probably my favourite scene from the story thus far. And no, there is not an alternate version in which HMK wins, so don't ask. **

**Also, just a fun little tidbit to add, here's what I imagine the group's battle stances in the story resemble:**

**SoraAlam - Sora (Duh!)**

**HMK - Riku**

**Cynical - Lexaeus**

**Skyward Wing - Sora [Wisdom Form]**

**Thus, we have left Mirage Arena and are of to another world, and one that you guys will probably recognize very quickly, but that's all I'll say. So, until next time, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! **


	19. Runaways

**Hello everyone and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**In contrast to our last few chapters, today's chapter is a tad shorter than usual, though it still holds it's fair share of things to behold. However, in order to fill up the word count a bit more, here's what happened last time... [In Chester A. Bum voice:] SPOILERS!**

**We visited the Mirage Arena, met Rocket Raccoon and Groot, Loki took control of HMK, he and Sky had their huge epic fight, in which HMK slashed Sky acroos the face, giving him a blind eye, and now HMK, in distress for what he had done, has now run away from his friends fearing he might hurt them again...**

**So with that brings us to today's chapter, so I'm going to shut up and let you read it. Enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney**

* * *

CHAPTER 19

Hurrying through the dark hallways, she came to where she hoped she would find him. Sitting crosslegged in the dark, he heard her footsteps approach from behind, yet he did not flinch upon noticing her entrance. Stopping before him, she spoke to him.

"Loki has failed in his plan." She said, hoping he would react. However, he still remained in his position.

"You say that as though it's a bad thing." He responded, which caught her by surprise.

"Wait, what?" She asked.

"You say that Loki's plan had failed," he repeated, "yet it was in fact much more of a success than you had perceived."

"I don't understand." She inquired him.

"Loki's plan was for brother to be consumed by the darkness, and cause havoc to those around him." He explained, "and while he may not have stayed consumed, it did cause him to push others away, meaning…"

"We'll be the ones that he'll run too." She figured out, as he finally rose from his spot.

"If that be the case, then I think it's time brother and I spoke personally." He said.

"Where will we find him?" She asked, as he walked past her.

"Something you will learn very quickly, Musoka." He responded, "In their time of need, it's almost never hard to find a runaway."

* * *

Speeding through the Lanes Between, HMK flew his Keyblade glider faster the more he thought of what he just did.

It both scared him and frustrated him all that he did and what all he possesses. No matter what he did, darkness would always find a way to beckon him, making him feel weak. He thought he could control it, maybe make his life a tad easier. But after seeing the pained and fearful faces of the friends he hurt, that didn't feel like it was going to happen one way or another.

As he continued to fly through the multicolored sky, HMK's thoughts started to become almost as hectic as himself. So much so, that he didn't even realize where exactly he was flying. Turing his attention back to the skies, HMK gasped as he saw all of the trees that were suddenly in his way. Maneuvering the best he could, HMK quickly spun out of control until he ended crashing his glider into a nearby snowbank.

"Great, now I can't even fly properly!" HMK groaned, emerging from the crash with his Keyblade now dismissed.

Looking around, still a tad bit dazed, HMK took in the new surroundings. "Where the heck am I?" He questioned, as his senses started to come back to him. He was one what looked like a mountainside, with a forest clearing off in the distance. And more importantly, the over abundance of snow that was everywhere. Using a fire spell to heat himself up, HMK inspected his surroundings a bit further, as he headed up the mountainside to get a better view of where he was.

However, as he headed up the cliff side, HMK quickly stopped in his tracks at what he found: a massive castle made of ice. In awe of what he just found, HMK started to approach the castle, before he looked beside him to notice a snow covered boulder was moving. Turning his attention to it, HMK quickly realized it was no boulder: it was a snow monster!

"Intruder!" The monster roared, as it started swinging its massive arms toward HMK, who dodged out of the way, surprised by what he was facing, and summoned his Keyblade ready to fight the beast. However, before he could even make a move, the monster got ahold of HMK by the leg, raising the young Keyblade wielder up in the air, leaving him dangling.

"Let me go!" HMK yelled, trying to swipe at the monster, but the beast wouldn't budge. After the monster roared once more, almost directly in HMK's face, the snow beast went to swipe the young boy away, before a small voice was heard behind it.

"Enough!" The voice cried out, as the monster turned to see a young girl standing at the door to the ice castle. "Put him down please." She asked kindly, as the snow monster eventually groaned, and dropped HMK back onto the ground before heading back to where he was originally sitting.

HMK, brushing the snow off of himself, watched as the young girl walked down the steps of the castle to come face to face with him. "Sorry about him," the girl apologized, "He's been very on edge recently."

"I could tell." HMK responded smartly, as the girl helped him to his feet.

"Please, come in." She welcomed, as HMK followed her into the castle.

Once inside, HMK stopped to look around at the massive interior of the castle, before looking to the girl. "Do you live here?" He asked her.

"As of recently, yes." The girl answered, "My name is Elsa."

"I'm HMK." The hectic one greeted back.

"You must not be from around here, are you?" The girl, Elsa, asked.

"You catch on pretty quickly." HMK replied, folding his arms.

"How did you find this place?" Elsa asked, to which HMK thought of how to properly explain his situation.

"It's a...long story." He sighed, "The short version is I ran away. I hurt some friends of mine and...well, let's just say I wasn't myself."

Elsa sombrely giggled. "Funny," she responded, "that's kind of the reason I'm here too."

"You hurt someone?" HMK inquired, to which Elsa nodded.

"My sister." She answered, "I was a little nervous one day, and after she came to me about something that I couldn't understand, something inside of me just snapped. I lashed out and just like that, I was an outcast."

HMK nodded, understanding and relating to Elsa's story. "I guess we're both outcasts then." He said, to which Elsa smiled, knowing there was another person like her who was different.

"Let me show you around." She said, as she decided to lead HMK through her castle. HMK followed, as the two made their way up further into Elsa's ice palace, unaware that a figure in a black coat was watching them around the corner.

* * *

Dispatch shielded herself from the incoming snow, holding on tight inside SoraAlam's sidecar as he, alongside Skyward Wing and Cynical, flew down into the forest clearing of the new world they had just entered. Dismissing their Keyblade gliders, the group took in their new surroundings, while also trying to find ways to keep themselves warm.

"Just to be clear, this is where we saw HMK go, right?" Cynical asked, shivering from the cold.

"I could sense his darkness from where we were." Sky pointed out, "if he's still here, he shouldn't be too far now. Just have to follow his scent this-" Sky then went to walk, but started to limp the minute he moved. Both SoraAlam and Dispatch came to Sky's side to help their friend to stand.

"Maybe you should sit this one out, Sky." SoraAlam advised, "You still seem pretty beat up."

Though Sky was going to respond, it was true that his fight with HMK did wear him out a bit, and some rest could be good for him. Thus, Sky simply nodded, as he wandered back toward a few rocks where he could sit down.

"I'll look after him." Dispatch told the remaining two, "You too go on ahead and see if you can find anything."

"Don't worry, we'll find him." Cynical reassured her, to which Dispatch nodded.

"Just try to be careful." Dispatch replied, as SoraAlam nodded back before taking off deeper into the forest.

As the duo took off, Dispatch turned back toward Sky, who was now sitting down and rubbing his now blind left eye, which was still sore. "Here, let me." Dispatch told him, as she sat down beside him and prepared Curaga in her hand. However, when she went to press it against Sky's eye, she immediately backed it away in slight pain.

"It's hot." She winced.

"Well I do do my best." Sky slyly replied, to which Dispatch rolled her eyes before freezing Sky's eye in order for her to place her hand on it.

Looking before she placed her hand over it, Dispatch caught a glimpse at Sky's eye, and how it was still slightly glowing. "Why does it glow like that?" She asked, to which Sky was a bit hesitant to answer.

"I'd rather not talk about it." He answered, "It can be a little difficult to explain."

"Try me." Dispatch responded.

Sky, shrugging, decided to explain the best he could. "Ever since my world fell into darkness, I had felt a lot of pain." Sky told, "I was angry and sad, and just wasn't in my right mind. But that was when I could feel darkness forming in my own heart. I tried to use the light to burry it away, but once light becomes infused with darkness, it can turn that light into something grim."

"A Malshine." Dispatch realized, catching Sky by surprise.

"So you've heard of it." He inquired.

"Bits and pieces." She answered, "They were initially described as malevolent embodiments of the light, and were supposed to be…well, nonexistent."

"Oh they're real." Sky responded, "I'm living proof of it."

As the glow of the Curaga spell faded, Dispatch lifted her hand from Sky's eye, only to see that it was still glossy and blind, but the glow was dimmed slightly. Sky then stood to stretch, recovering from his tired state.

"Looks like that did the trick." Sky said, using Aeroga to flip around, getting his momentum and agility back. Turning back to Dispatch, Sky smiled. "Thank you." He said.

"It's no problem." She replied, before turning to face the path toward the forest, "I just hope HMK is alright."

Sky, not sure what to say, just said, "He's strong. Whatever happens, knowing him, I'm pretty sure he won't go down without a fight."

Dispatch smiled at the comfort of Sky's words. "Ok then," she said, reassuringly, "Let's go find the others. They might've found something."

"Not a chance!"

Quickly, Dispatch and Sky turned around to see a woman in a black cloak leap down behind them, wielding what looked like a bow and arrow aimed straight at them.

"Brother is coming with us." She growled, as Sky summoned his Keyblade and Dispatch prepared herself for whatever this mysterious woman was going to throw at them.

* * *

**Don`t worry, guys. She just wants to ask if you want to build a snowman. (Please don`t hurt me! ;) )**

**That's right, folks, our third and final Disney world is none other than the one and only Frozen! To list the reasons as to why Frozen is a perfect fit into the Kingdom Hearts series is a near impossibility given how much typing space I want to give myself, so I`ll just say its a good idea they use it. **

**Also, we have another villain reveal: Musoka. Just to give some insight on her design, she kind of looks like Annie from Attack on Titan except her hair is purple and has two large pins in the form of an X through the bun her hair. Also, time to update the cast list for our villains! **

**? -?**

**Shinshi - Maurice LaMarche (Calculon [Futurama])**

**Keisan - Mathew Mercer (Levi [Attack on Titan])**

**Kurai - Clancy Brown (Lex Luthor [Superman: TAS])**

**Itazura - James Arnold Taylor (Ratchet [Ratchet &amp; Clank])**

**Musoka - E.G. Daily (Buttercup [PowerPuff Girls])**

**As you can see, we have one last villain to reveal: the top dog, the leader of our villainous group. Who is that you may ask? All will be revealed...next time!**

**That's right, folks, that concludes today's chapter! As always, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

**P.S. Props to anyone who can find the Doctor Who reference! **


	20. Let It Go

**Hello everyone and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Continuing our adventures in the frozen world of...uh, Frozen...our heroes continue to search for their dark friend, while our mysterious villains have made a return. And you might want to pay close attention to them especially in this chapter, as we are about to be...formally introduced to them. ;)**

**But with that said, lets just jump right into the newest chapter! Enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney **

* * *

CHAPTER 20

"HMK?! HMK!"

SoraAlam called out all through the forest, though no one responded to him. He and Cynical had been traversing the area for what felt like hours, and yet still couldn't find where their friend was.

"HMK?!" Cynical was also crying out for their friend, "Marco!"

SoraAlam looked at Cynical with a raised eyebrow. "Really?" He dully responded.

"What? We've been at for who knows how long and have had no progress." Cynical said, "Why not try something different. Marco!"

"Polo!"

Both SoraAlam and Cynical stopped in their tracks when they suddenly heard a third voice among them.

"You heard that too right?" Cynical asked SoraAlam.

"Of course. We are the only few people around here." The third voice spoke again, to which the two young Keyblade wielders identified was coming from behind them.

Thus, the two turn around to come face to face with whom was talking to them, revealing it to be a small, walking, talking snowman.

"Hi there!" The snowman said cheerfully, waving to the two young boys, who, per usual when anyone encounters a snowman that can walk and talk, were beginning to freak out.

Cynical, hysterically screaming, kicked the snowman in the head, only for it to fly into SoraAlam's hands, whom began to toss it back and forth with Cynical, neither one wanting to hold it. After a while, SoraAlam threw the head back at the snowman's body, which picked itself back up and fixed its parts.

"Whew, that was a lot of fun." The snowman said, straightening his head.

"And I though snowmen were already creepy enough" Cynical said, still a tad petrified from what he was just seeing.

"Hey, we snowmen take offense to that." The snowman pointed out, "We're not that…ok, maybe we are a bit."

Kneeling down to the snowman's size, SoraAlam examined its features. "Fascinating," he said, "how exactly are you alive?"

The snowman was about to answer, until another voice was heard off in the distance. "Olaf?" The voice, that of a girl, called out. "Olaf, where are you?"

Looking back, SoraAlam and Cynical saw a young girl come around the side of one of the trees, surprised by the appearance of the young boys. "Oh, hello there." She said, as the snowman, Olaf, approached her.

"Hey, Anna!" He said enthusiastically, "I found these guys wandering the forest. I think they might be lost."

"We're not lost." Cynical defended, "We just can't seem to find who we're looking for."

"You guys are looking for someone?" The girl, Anna, asked.

"A friend of ours." SoraAlam explained, "He got lost in here and we've trying to find him for hours."

"Funny you say that," Anna said, "We've been looking for someone too."

"Really? Who?" SoraAlam inquired.

"My sister." Anna answered, "Queen Elsa of Arendelle. She also ran away. And is pretty much the reason for all of the snow."

"Fun," Cynical responded, "Maybe she can make us a few coats while she's at it."

SoraAlam, swatting his friend, turned back to Anna. "We can help you find your sister." He told her.

"Really?" Anna asked, "Thank you! We'll help you find your friend too."

SoraAlam nodded, "Thanks. Let's get get going then."

Anna shook hands with SoraAlam, "I'm Anna."

"SoraAlam," the young boy greeted. "This is my friend Cynical."

"I'm Olaf!" The snowman chimed in, "And I like warm hugs!"

Cynical eye balled the snowman, oddly. "Riiiiiiight." He said.

"Come on, let's go." SoraAlam stated, dragging the still paranoid Cynical with him, as the new group headed off into the forest to search for their missing friends.

* * *

Wind and snow flew all around as Musoka continuously attacked Sky and Dispatch, both of which were trying to hold their ground against the mysterious woman.

While Dispatch tried to hide behind one of the nearby trees, Sky made a mad dash for Musoka, dodging the numerous arrows being shot his way. Getting close, Sky started to slash away at the woman in black, before locking his blade with her bow.

"Who are you people?" He grunted, as Musoka just laughed in his face.

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet!" She taunted, before pushing Sky away with a mighty swipe, knocking the young boy into the snow.

Not willing to give up, Sky turned back to blast her with Firaga, but Musoka was already out of the way, leaving his blast to destroy a nearby tree. Turning around, Sky threw Quake at the mystery woman, only for her to run along the horizontal pillar and kick Sky back once reaching the end of the earthly attack.

Before Sky had time to get up, Musoka shot a quick arrow at the skyward one, nailing his hoodie into the ground, leaving Sky stuck to the cold surface under him. He tried to pull himself free, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Musoka appear above him with another arrow pulled back on her bow.

"Disappointing this had to go by so fast." She taunted, "On the bright side, at least I can make this quick and painless for you." Thus, aiming her bow just between Sky's eyes, Musoka readied herself to let go of her arrow.

However, before she could end Sky right then and there, another arrow shot out and slashed her across the arm. Enraged, Musoka looked back to see Dispatch, holding an exact replica of Musoka's bow and arrow, glaring intently at the mysterious woman.

"Back off." She growled, aiming the bow and arrow at Musoka, who grinned at Dispatch wickedly.

"Oh, so you're the one that brother loves." She cooed, as Dispatch slightly lowered her guard, but still held her aim. Backing away from Sky, Musoka dismissed her weapon. "You're lucky I'm going to spare this once. But know this: one of you will perish. And I'll make sure it's by my hand."

Fed up with her talking, Dispatch fired the arrow toward Musoka, but she in turn summoned a dark corridor and disappeared without a trace. As she disappeared, the replica bow in Dispatch's hand withered away as well, while Dispatch ignored its disappearance and instead focused on helping Sky up off the ground, who had finally broken the arrow holding him to the ground.

"You ok?" She asked.

"I've been in worse situations." Sky answered, "Never took you to be a Mimic."

"I may not be fit to wield a Keyblade, but that didn't stop Master Aqua from teaching me a thing or too about Magic." Dispatch replied, as Sky finally got to his feet.

"If those people in black coats are here, then we've got to find HMK and fast." Sky deduced, as he started to head for the forest, with a confused Dispatch trailing behind him.

"Wait, what do these people want with HMK?" Dispatch started asking, "Who are they?"

"Oh, do we have stories to tell you." Sky droned as he led Dispatch further into the forest to find their friends, wherever they were.

* * *

"And this is the balcony." Elsa swung the two icy doors open, as she led HMK out onto the terrace, where the view of the massive snowy mountainside and a clear, breathtaking sunrise could be seen off in the distance.

"Wow. It's amazing." HMK said in awe, "Though the cold does tend to get to you at times."

Elsa laughed, "For you maybe. For me, the cold never bothered me. Especially considering what exactly I'm capable off."

HMK, confused by what she meant, looked down to see Elsa gripping the side of the railing, and noticed the outpour of frost starting to seep out from her grip, now understanding his new friend's words.

"Is that also why you ran away?" He asked, to which Elsa didn't immediately respond to. However, knowing she would have to tell someone about it at some point, she decide to let it all out.

"Ever since I was little I've been trying to control these powers that I have." She explained, "At almost every turn they have caused so much anguish in my life, and to those around me. I didn't want anyone else to go through anymore than I have already had to put them through."

HMK listened to Elsa's story, feeling as though her words were echoing his own. She too was someone who couldn't control something and now had no choice but to run away from their problem. He tried to figure what exactly to say to all of that, but nothing was coming to mind in that instant.

As he continued to look out over the snowy mountain, he looked down to see four figures standing outside of Elsa's castle, two of which he identified as two of his friends.

"SoraAlam! Cynical!" HMK silently exclaimed as he saw his friends approach the castle. Elsa, however, was already backing into the castle in fear.

"No, no, it's my sister." She gasped, "I can't face her, not like this."

Following the distressed Elsa back into her icy abode, HMK finally found in himself to say what he wanted. "Elsa, wait." He said, "I know you're scared right now. And I know you feel as though you don't belong around others. But if you care about your sister, then you have to at least let her know how you feel." Elsa stopped to listen to HMK's words. "I may not be able to fix what I started," he added, "but that doesn't mean you shouldn't."

Elsa, feeling a tad more confident, smiled at the encouragement that her new friend had given her. Perhaps she should take that first step. Moving back toward her friend, Elsa gave HMK a big hug, catching the hectic one off guard. "Thank you." She simply said, as she then began to head down the stairs to meet the others downstairs, while HMK still stood alone in the room.

"Wish I could take my own advice." He sighed.

"But if you did, then we would not be able to meet, now would we?"

HMK, hearing a new, ominous voice in the room, turned back to the balcony to see a man in a black coat staring at him. HMK, quickly recognizing his voice as the same one he and the group encountered at Disney Castle, began to grit his teeth, summoning his Keyblade.

"Please, brother," the coat said calmly, "I'm here to talk."

"I'm done talking!" HMK shouted, as he ran full force at the mysterious man, ready to cut him down to size.

"Why must you always make this so hard?" The man sighed, as right before HMK got close enough to swipe at his opponent, the coat held out his hand and lightly touched his palm against HMK's forehead, stopping the young boy in his tracks and causing everything to slowly fade…

* * *

Opening his eyes, HMK looked around him, and noticed a vastly different change of scenery. All around were clouds black as the darkness he fought, while below him was a stain glass portrait of what looked like him, fast asleep, with his friends filling the small circles beside him.

"Where am I?" HMK wondered.

"In ancient times, they called it a Dive to the Heart." HMK whirled around to see the man in the black coat reappear, "A form of uncovering one's strength…and in some cases, even memories."

"Who are you?" HMK questioned.

"You know who I am, brother." The coat responded, "You just need to look inside yourself."

HMK, confused as to what this man was talking about, watched as he went remove his hood, revealing his face to the young boy. He looked somewhat youthful, though his expression showed much more maturity than to be led on. His hair was long, almost to his back, and was almost as silver as metal.

"I don't know y-" HMK was about to put off this mystery person, until all of a sudden, a name quickly popped into his head.

"Go ahead, brother." The man said, "You can say my name."

HMK, looking over the mystery person, said the name aloud: "O...Odaykan?"

The man smiled, "It appears we have much to discuss." He said.

"I don't understand." HMK said, "Who are you people?"

"That requires us to go back to the beginning." Odaykan answered, as he raised his hand, and in one quick motion, swiped at the air, suddenly changing the scenery.

Looking all around him now, HMK saw nothing but destruction; the forces of light and darkness battling on through the dust and barren wasteland. It didn't take long before HMK realized what he was seeing.

"The Keyblade War." He gasped, as Odaykan appeared beside him, pointing up to the top of the mountain in front of them, where Kingdom Hearts shot out a massive shockwave that rocked the sky and obliterated what was left of the dark forces.

"In the final moments of the Keyblade War, Xehanort was believed to have been eliminated." Odaykan narrated, "However, in actuality, only his body was destroyed, while his heart was split into 7 pieces. Those pieces over time began to form bodies of their own, forming into beings known only as Remnants. Each one of them possessed power over the darkness, and bared specific traits of Xehanort's personality. His zen, his grace, his intelligence, his demeanor, his mischievousness, and his determination."

The scenery changed again as HMK saw the six Remnants together, in awe of their new selves, but still bared confused faces. "Over time, the six of us found each other." Odaykan continued, "but the seventh…he was a mystery. Thus we scattered to every world we could trying to find him, yet found nothing."

As the scenery changed back into HMK's Dive to the Heart, the hectic one was still confused about one aspect of Odaykan's tale. "You said these Remnants had some of Xehanort's different personality traits. What part of Xehanort did this this seventh Remnant possess?" HMK asked, to which Odaykan smirked.

"He possessed something that Xehanort only exhibited during The Keyblade War." Odaykan replied, though still not really answering HMK's question.

"What was that?" HMK asked again, to which Odaykan looked at the young Keyblade wielder with a wicked smile.

"His rage." Odaykan answered, "His hectic rage."

Upon hearing this, HMK's head suddenly started to ache worse than anything he had ever experienced, as memories he never knew he had began to pour into his mind, corrupting everything he thought he knew and then some. Nothing he was hearing had to be real. To believe that this was all true could not be a possibility. But as the new memories started to become clearer, there was no more running from it...

He was the seventh Remnant.

* * *

As Odaykan stood over HMK's comatose body in Elsa's castle, he watched as he could almost feel all of his brother's true memories flow into him. Their plan was almost complete, and now that the seventh Remnant was among them again, there was no stopping them in their quest.

In that moment, SoraAlam and Cynical had reached the top of the staircase after hearing their friend in distress, only to see HMK standing with dead eyes as a mysterious man stood over him.

"HMK!" Cynical exclaimed, as he and SoraAlam summoned their Keyblades.

"What have you done to him?" SoraAlam demanded.

"I believe that's none of your concern." Odaykan replied, as he snapped his fingers and summoned a dark corridor that instantly swallowed the still comatose HMK, leaving the lead Remnant alone with the two young Keyblade wielders.

"Whatever you people are up to, you won't get away with it!" SoraAlam shouted as he and Cynical dashed at Odaykan, ready to put the mysterious man in his place.

Odaykan, however, simply smirked as he held out his hand, and right as the duo leapt up to attack him, they were instantly frozen in the air.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, gentlemen," Odaykan replied, "but at the rate we're going, we already have."

Thus, with a simple flick of his wrist, Odaykan sent both SoraAlam and Cynical flying out of the castle, smashing through the doors behind him and over the balcony.

Below, Sky and Dispatch had just made their way to the castle, and we're shocked to notice what was happening to their friends.

"Guys!" Sky cried out, as he and Dispatch tried to hurry as fast as they could in order to catch up to them.

However, it was all but too late, as before the two could make it, two separate corridors of darkness appeared on the ground, as both SoraAlam and Cynical dropped through each one, leaving nothing a cry of peril left in their plummet through the dark portals.

* * *

**CLIFFHANGERS! CLIFFHANGERS EVERYWHERE! (In this case, quite literally too!)**

**So yeah, HMK is officially Xehanort's seventh Remnant. Honestly, I thought it might have been obvious from day 1, but hey, I did try to keep the context as minimal as possible (emphasis on try). Oh well, what can you do?**

**Also, we have officially met our big bad, the leader of the Remnants: Odaykan! And just to be clear, it is pronounced 'Oh-Day-Can', just in case it was little hard to say :P. And with that, lets bring our villain cast list full circle...**

**Odaykan - Steve Blum (Amon [Legend of Korra])**

**Shinshi - Maurice LaMarche (Calculon [Futurama])**

**Keisan - Matthew Mercer (Levi [Attack on Titan])**

**Kurai - Clancy Brown (Lex Luthor [Superman TAS])**

**Itazura - James Arnold Taylor (Rachet [Rachet &amp; Clank])**

**Musoka - E.G. Daily (Buttercup [PowerPuff Girls])**

**So there you go! A full cast list for our villains! If you want a full cast list of everyone else, I had already posted it on The X-Keepers' Facebook page a while back, so go check it out! **

**But with that, brings us to the end of today's chapter! Until next time, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! **


	21. Past Truths

**Hello everyone, and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Sorry that this one was delayed from yesterday! I was away from my computer for the day and didn't have time to make all the touch-ups that I wanted to make. But, now that I've made them all, its time to finally unveil this chapter unto you guys. And if you thought the last chapter was quite the eye-opener...oh you haven't seen anything yet...**

**So, with that said, lets jump into today's chapter!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media is owned by SquareEnix/Disney**

* * *

CHAPTER 21

"Uh…do ya think he's ok?"

"Give 'em some space! I'm not done done healing him yet."

"Well, Garwsh, how long is it going to take?"

"As long as it needs to, now stop pestering me, you big palooka!"

Finally feeling as though he was coming to, Cynical fluttered his eyes open, in hopes that his vision would soon return to him. As it did so, he caught a glimpse who exactly was talking around him, as he saw two figures above him.

One was shorter, and was spouting the most temper, and was using some form of healing magic on the young Keyblade wielder. While the other one, who was taller and scragglier than the short one, stood in a much more worried state.

"We really shouldn't be keeping him waiting like this Donald," the tall one said, "It just feels a bit impolite."

"I'm almost done, Goofy, just give me a minute!" The short one, Donald, responded, as he raised the power of his healing spell on Cynical, who immediately sat upright at the burst of energy that shot right through him.

Feeling his senses snap back into place, Cynical looked to whom exactly were the two bickering around him, and saw what looked like a dog and a duck looking at him intently.

"Ah-yuck! It looks like that did the trick!" Goofy exclaimed, as he and Donald moved to help Cynical to his feet.

"Where am I?" Cynical asked, still a bit groggy, as his two new acquaintances helped him stand.

"Don't you worry now." Goofy assured, "You're somewhere safe, we can tell you that."

"Let's get him inside." Donald said, as the duo led Cynical along the grassy field.

"Inside?" Cynical was still confused, until he looked up and saw exactly where they were heading: a large, mysterious, and yet oddly shaped tower.

* * *

Leading Cynical up the tower's magical staircases, Donald and Goofy finally arrived at the top of the tower. Opening the door, they led the heuristic one into the next room, which looked like a study of sorts. Bookcases, treasure chests and other magical items filled the mystical oriented room, as the duo led Cynical to the desk in the center of the room.

Across the desk, a young boy, no more than a few years older than Cynical, sat in a large chair, wearing a large sliver cloak with blue and gold lining, with his long silver hair draped over his closed yet focused eyes. However, upon hearing the trio approach his desk, his eyes fluttered open, and a warm smile appeared across his.

"Hello Jared," he said, "It's been a long time since I've seen you."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Cynical looked up at the boy's face, and immediately recognized the now legendary Keyblade master.

"Riku." He gasped, as the original warrior of dawn leaned over on his desk, resting his elbows down to get a good look at Cynical.

"I haven't seen you since you were much younger," Riku said, "Ansem did say that you were growing fast. Just didn't expect it to be that much."

"We found him laying out in the grass." Donald said, as he and Goofy interjected themselves into the conversation.

"Yeah, from the looks of it, it looked like he came through one of those spooky corridors of darkness." Goofy added, catching Riku's attention.

"A corridor of darkness? Those haven't been used for some time." Riku pondered, "Jared, can you tell us what exactly happened for you to get here?"

"It's a long story…" Cynical rubbed the back of his neck, as he began to tell the trio about what he and the group had encountered thus far.

* * *

"Hey. Can you hear me?"

SoraAlam gently started to open his eyes, hearing the familiar voice in his head, as his seeing started to clear up as he woke. Adjusting his vision, he saw a young girl with shoulder length red hair standing over him, with an expression that could only be described as worried confusion.

"Who…who are you?" He groaned, before his thoughts suddenly rushed back to him about what just happen to him prior. "Cynical!" He shouted, springing up from where he was laying, causing the girl to step backward.

"Easy there." She responded, as SoraAlam leaned onto his back again, "you look like you hurt yourself pretty badly from where you fell."

"Fell? From the portal? You saw it?" SoraAlam asked her, to which she nodded.

"I hadn't seen one like it in a long time." she answered, "The last time I did see one, it almost swallowed this entire island."

"Island?" SoraAlam questioned, as he quickly tried to get to his feet. Looking around, He noticed that he was in fact on a beach, with an endless ocean stretching out incredibly far, back-dropped to an orange sunset off in the distance.

"Whoa." He gasped, "If that's not breath taking, then I don't know what is."

The girl giggled at SoraAlam's response, "Surprisingly, you're not the first one to say that." She replied, coming to SoraAlam's side, as the two continued to look on at the horizon.

* * *

"Hmm, people in black coats that wield the darkness to cause havoc in the worlds. Now where have I heard that before?" Riku sarcastically stated, as he assessed everything Cynical had told him about their current situation, to which the young Keyblade master was perplexed by.

"Do ya think the Organization might be back?" Goofy wondered aloud.

"No. For as clever and cunning as Xemnas was, the Organization was never this precise. This is...different, somehow." Riku responded, "That being said, I still get the feeling Xehanort still has a play in this."

Cynical was confused. "Xehanort?" He questioned, "I thought he was destroyed years ago."

"He was." Riku answered, "Or at least, his body was. His heart, however, I can still sense amongst the stars."

"His heart?" Cynical started to worry.

"During the Keyblade War, Sora sacrificed himself in order to put things right." Riku narrated, "He merged with Kingdom Hearts, and was able to obliterate Xehanort for good. Or at least, that's what we were led to believe. However, ever since I was given Yen Sid's place, I could feel seven remnants of his heart, floating through the worlds. Almost as if they were trying to reform together again."

"Reform again?" Cynical processed this information, "You mean…resurrect Xehanort?"

"If given the chance, anything could happen." Riku stated, causing Cynical to go wide eyed.

"Then we have to do something!" Cynical exclaimed, heading for the door, "I have to head back out there, find SoraAlam, regroup with the others, and-"

"SoraAlam?" Riku caught that name, "Dean is with you?"

Cynical, confused by Riku's puzzlement about his best friend, turned back to face the silver haired boy. "Yeah," he answered slowly, "Why?"

Riku took a deep breath, unsure of how exactly to break this to the young boy. However, he knew that there would no running from it now. Thus, he began to explain, "In my time as a watcher of the worlds, I learned much about the universe. One of these many discoveries, was that the universe acts almost in the similar fashion as a human being. Kingdom Hearts of course acts as the heart, and the worlds all act singularly as the body. However, there is always a single Keyblade wielder who acts as the soul; traveling through the worlds and keeping them safe, bearing several connections to those around them. Whether he knew it or not, Sora was the universe's soul, and when he sacrificed himself, he was reincarnated as another Keyblade wielder, who would one day fulfill the same destiny that Sora had."

Cynical was still confused by by Riku's story. "I don't understand." He responded, "What does that have to do with..." However, right before he was about to say his friend's name, it started to clue him in on what Riku was telling him. "Wait. You don't mean...?"

Riku sighed, "Jared," he started, "do you think it was a coincidence that he chose the name 'SoraAlam'?"

And that's when it hit Cynical like a brick. His eyes widened in sudden realization as he understood the sudden truth about SoraAlam…

He was Sora reincarnated!

* * *

SoraAlam leaned up against the Paopu tree with the red haired girl sitting atop it, both looking out at the bright sun. SoraAlam sighed, as he could feel the dreams he had been having start to form in his head again as he looked out at the horizon.

"It's beautiful." He admired, "And yet...somehow familiar."

The girl looked down at him. "Have you ever been here before?" She asked.

"No I haven't." He admitted, "But I just have this nagging feeling that there's this whole other side of me that knows about this all too well."

The girl smirked, "You sound almost exactly like a friend of mine." She pointed out, before her mood started to get a tad somber, "It feels almost like yesterday that I saw him."

"I'm guessing you haven't seen him in a while?" SoraAlam asked.

"He's gone somewhere far away," the girl explained, "I may not see him for quite some time, but I know he's still with me in some way." The girl held her hand against her heart as she remembered her good friend.

"You guys must have been very close." SoraAlam assessed, to which the girl nodded, slightly blushing.

"You have no idea." She said with a smile, as she and SoraAlam continued to look out at the sunset. Thinking about what the girl said, SoraAlam's dreams started to come even harder to the forefront again, as several pictures filled his mind. However, unlike his past visions of The Keyblade War, these were much more light hearted, filled with joy and happiness. Yet he found it odd that of all the things, it was this girl who brought them out of him.

After some time had passed, SoraAlam decided that it was high time he headed off to find his friends. "Well, this has been fun." He told the girl, "But I think it's time I be off."

As he summoned his Keyblade, the girl's eyes widened. "A Keyblade." She gasped, "You really do remind me of him."

Looking back to the girl, SoraAlam smiled, before he transformed his Keyblade into its glider form, hoping aboard, ready to blast off, before he turned back to the girl one last time. "That reminds me." He pondered, "I never did get your name."

"Oh, I almost forgot." She realized, as she went on to tell SoraAlam her name.

Once she gave it however, SoraAlam's mind went into overload with memories that he never had. He saw himself traveling the worlds with two odd companions, fighting the darkness and saving his friends. He saw friends that risked their lives to help in his quests, battling their own enemies, and learning more about themselves along the way. Then finally, he saw her. This very same girl was in his mind, being her usual cheerful self. This girl always brought the best out in him, and he would do anything to protect her. She was the light of his life, and he cared so much for her.

And it was in that moment, that SoraAlam finally realized what these dreams. And more importantly, who he was…

As he suddenly came to this realization, SoraAlam shed a small tear from his eye as he looked back at this girl. "That's a…that's a beautiful name." He managed to say, as she nodded back to him with a smile, almost as if she knew exactly what he knew. Thus, smiling back, SoraAlam turned back to the skies and proceeded to blast off into the lanes between.

"I may not be who I once was…but I'm glad you still remember me." SoraAlam thought to himself, but not in his own voice, but another, "And I still promise you, that someday soon, we'll see each other again…"

"Thank you…Kairi."

* * *

**AWWWWWWWWWWW THE FEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLSSSSS! ;0;**

**So yeah, mind blow number 2: Dean is Sora reincarnated. From chapter 1 I had this idea planned, so I hope it delivered in some way! If not, then the anticlimacticness could not be higher :P **

**Also, RIKU AND KAIRI! DONALD AND GOOFY! THE MEMORIES! THE FEELS! Sorry, got a bit emotional there...**

**But with that said, stick around because Chapter 22 will be up soon! Until then, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! **


	22. Destiny Calls

**Hello everyone and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Yup, two chapters in one day folks! Granted, it's MUCH shorter than past chapters, but hey, we already got one chapter today, so you could technically count these two today as one chapter. I just split it into two because of pacing and what not. :P**

**But, enough of me gawking, lets take a look at what some of our other characters have been up to, shall we?**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney**

* * *

CHAPTER 22

Skyward Wing was pacing frantically as he watched Cid type away at his computer.

After he and Dispatch watched SoraAlam and Cynical disappear, he used their new D-Link to call the Restoration Committee to come help them, taking them to Radiant Garden to start scanning the worlds for his missing friends. However, the fact that Cid hadn't found anything yet was starting to worry Sky a lot more than it probably should be.

"Anything yet?" Sky asked, leaning over Cid's keyboard.

"For the billionth time, kid, not yet!" Cid barked, "These things take time, and I haven't had to scan for life forms like this for years. I'm still rusty."

Sighing, Sky backed away from the computer, and walked back over to where Dispatch was sitting with her hands in her lap.

"Still nothing?" She asked, as Sky plopped down beside her.

"Either these guys have the best cloaking ever, or Cid really needs to upgrade his equipment." Sky responded.

"Here's hoping we can at least find them soon." Dispatch hoped, as the two noticed VoltEditzz approaching with two drinks in his hands.

"Here you go, guys," Volt said, handing them the two glasses, "Aerith's homemade Hi-Potions. She figured you guys could use a little pick-me-up after what you've been through."

"Thanks, Volt." Sky thanked him, taking a swig of his potion, "I see your Phantom Cut healed up nicely."

"Yeah, Aerith said she still wants me to keep low for a little bit." Volt explained, "Feared the cut might still have some lingering side effects."

"Sucks. We could use you out there." Sky remarked.

"I know." Volt groaned, before looking over to Dispatch, "I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise about HMK."

Dispatch weakly smiled, "It's ok," she said, "The least you did was try."

"We're going to get him back." Sky supported the young Mage, who nodded understandingly. Sky then rose from his spot, "Now if we could only find the other two, then things wouldn't be so hard to figure out."

Almost as if on cue, a mystical sound could be heard outside of the house. Heading outside to investigate, Sky, Volt, and Dispatch saw a corridor of light open up, and from it, Cynical emerged.

"Cynical!" Sky exclaimed, as the trio approached the heuristic one, "Where were you?"

"Me and SoraAlam were blasted off to different worlds." Cynical explained, "It was a miracle someone from the world I was in knew how to summon one of those corridors. Which I do agree with you now, they are super weird to travel through."

"Well, wait, where's SoraAlam then?" Volt asked.

"I don't-" Cynical was about to answer, but before he could, the sound of thrusters could be heard above them, as they looked up to see none other than SoraAlam himself flying overtop of them, dismissing his Keyblade glider and dropping down beside the group.

"Sorry I'm late." SoraAlam apologized, as the group came approached the young Keyblade wielder.

"SoraAlam! Are you ok?" Sky asked.

"I'm fine." SoraAlam answered, "Just took a small detour. And surprisingly did a little more soul searching than I think I should have."

"What do you mean?" Sky wondered.

"Let's just say I found those answers I was looking for." SoraAlam replied, as Sky realized what he was talking about.

"To those dreams you've been having?" Sky asked.

"They weren't dreams." SoraAlam answered.

"They were memories." Cynical added, catching SoraAlam's attention.

"You know?" SoraAlam asked his friend.

"An old friend from your 'past' told me." Cynical answered, SoraAlam realizing who he was talking about, "But that's not the only thing he had to say."

"You know where HMK is?" Dispatch questioned, quickly turning her attention to Cynical.

"No, but I do know what those guys in the black coats plan on doing with him." Cynical told them, "They're remnants of Xehanort."

"Xehanort?" Sky gasped, wide eyed, "That's impossible!"

"When he was destroyed in the Keyblade War, his heart survived." Cynical explained, "It was split into seven pieces, now trying to find a way to resurrect their original self."

"Hold on a sec, I thought you guys only came across six guys in coats?" Dispatch inquired, causing them all to think.

"Wait, you guys don't mean...?" Volt started questioning.

"Yeah, that's EXACTLY what it means." Sky answered for him.

"If they think HMK is their seventh remnant…" SoraAlam started to piece together, becoming increasingly worried, "…oh boy."

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Cynical looked around at the perplexed faces of his friends, before Sky flashed a face of determination.

"The only thing we can do." He answered, getting his friends' attention. "If there's anything I've learned on this journey with you guys, it's that destiny is never left to chance." Sky explained, "Each one of us have endured a lot, and no matter what, we would always find a way to make things right. And in doing so, would make us stronger, not just individually, but as a unit. A team. This group was brought together for a reason. And I think it's high time we showed these remnants what that reason is."

Encouraged by Sky's words, the rest of the group looked around at each other, their confidence boosted to new levels. He was right, they were brought together to do something, and it's time that they fulfilled what it was that they were supposed to do. What they were meant to do.

"Ok." SoraAlam said determinedly, "let's do it!"

"Alright, we're getting the band back together!" Volt exclaimed, before the committee's door swung open.

"You kiddos might want to get in here!" Cid hollered, "We got something!"

Hearing their call to action, the group headed inside and huddled around Cid's computer, who was typing up more computer jargon, before pulling up a map with a blinking signal.

"We just got a D-Link signal go off right here." Cid pointed out, as everyone inspected what they were looking at, before a few of them realized what the world they were seeing was.

"No way." Sky gasped, "That's…"

SoraAlam looked on at the map, knowing that world all to well…

"The Keyblade Graveyard…"

* * *

**THE HYPE IS TOO REAL!**

**Also, good old VoltEditzz has returned to the story! (Put your salt back in the cupboard, folks, it's not happening here!)**

**So, yeah, the final battle is almost upon us! Let's hope the hype is worth the wait...**

**Until then, that brings us to the end of today's chapter! As always, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! **


	23. Reunion

**Hello everyone and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Well folks, it all comes down to this. Our final world, and one that is essential to any final battle in a Kingdom Hearts game. So, because I don't have that much to say at the moment, let's just dive right into the latest chapter!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney**

* * *

CHAPTER 23

An eerie chill swooped over the world at large, as the barren craters that littered the landscape held little to behold. Sand, dirt and dust flew through the air, creating a bleak atmosphere with little to behold.

Truly, it was the graveyard of legend.

Trudging through the terrain, Odaykan led the still half-comatose HMK toward a large castle sculpted from the massive mountainside. As he reached the top of the staircase to the front door, the other five Remnants had gathered together to see their brother alongside their leader, bearing smiles upon the young Keyblade wielder. As they walked into the center of the huddled Remnants, Odaykan turned to face HMK.

"It is time, brother." Odaykan said, "Soon, our once glorious master shall be reborn, and fate shall run its course."

"I…I understand…" HMK faintly responded, still not in his right mind, "But…what's going to happen to me?"

Odaykan, sensing his brother's fears, warmly smiled. "You've always wondered why you cling to the darkness." Odaykan explained, "Why it consumes you. Why it leads you. The truth of the matter, is that darkness is always growing within us all, until it creates our path towards destiny. No matter the outcome. No matter the things that bind us from truth." Odaykan then rested his hand on HMK's shoulder to assure him even further, "The darkness is who you are, brother."

HMK, though his mind was fractured, still went along with what Odaykan was explaining, even if he himself didn't fully know what was going to happen. "So, what happens now?" He asked.

Smiling, Odaykan simply replied, "Your destiny."

"Whose destiny? His? Or yours?"

The Remnants all turned to the staircase at the sound of the new voice, as they looked to see SoraAlam, alongside Skyward Wing and Cynical, leap down from their Keyblade gliders, glaring at the dark group. Odaykan sneered at the sight of the Keyblade wielders, though was intrigued by the presence of the stormless one.

"You." He droned, staring down SoraAlam, "And here I thought we were the only remnants in the universe."

"We're here to take back our friend!" Sky barked.

"And put a stop to whatever you goons are up to!" Cynical added, to which Odaykan simply laughed, as did the rest of the remnants.

"Is that what you think?" Odaykan taunted, "Well, as much as I would love to wipe the floor with you all, we have a tight schedule to keep." He then turned to the two closest Remnants, that being Kurai and Musoka. "You two. Go guard the prisoners." he demanded, which they did with no question, as he turned back to the remaining three. "The rest of you," He said, "terminate these fools." Thus, Odaykan grabbed HMK by the arm and took off to the side of the castle with the numb hectic one, while Shinshi, Keisan, and Itazura summoned their weapons to face the trio, whom had summoned their own Keyblades.

"Oh yeah, this was totally a good idea, guys!" Cynical sarcastically stated, "Run straight into the herd, guns blazing. No problems there!"

SoraAlam and Sky simply rolled their eyes as the three remaining Remnants charged into the trio, as an all-out brawl broke out amongst the groups. SoraAlam dodged a swipe from Itazura's nunchaku, while Cynical tried to evade Keisan's whip cracks. Sky, meanwhile, engaged in a duel with Shinshi, who was trying to slice everywhere with his rapier, though Sky managed to keep up with the swordsman efficiently. As the two locked blades, Shinshi's politeness was starting to wear a bit thin.

"You will not stop us!" He stated, "We've plunged far too many worlds into darkness to find brother! You will not take him away from us again!"

While Shinshi tried to push on, Sky was far too distracted by what the remnant had just said. "You've done what?!" He exclaimed, as he pushed the remnant away, whom was now looking at Sky with a sense of dread to what he just did. "You're the reason my world fell into darkness!" Sky cried out, as his blind eye began to glow bright, and his unkempt fury began to rise once more. Fearing the sheer amount of pain he was about to experience, Shinshi blocked the incoming swarm of attacks the Sky was throwing his way, though with little success.

Meanwhile, SoraAlam was easily taking care of Itazura, as the young Keyblade wielder continued to outwit his crazed opponent, before quickly knocking him out altogether. As the mischievous remnant went down, SoraAlam looked out of the corner of his eye to see Odaykan off in the distance, dragging HMK around the side of the castle. Not wanting to let his friend out of his sight, SoraAlam trapped the comically dazed Itazura in a sheet of ice before taking off after the lead remnant.

* * *

"Ok, I think I've finally got it figured out!" Lea said, as he tried to explain his latest attempt for their escape, though everyone else had all but stopped listening to him after the last fifty ones he tried to pitch them.

"Give it a rest, spikes." Lightning groaned, "We're here for the long run, so you might as well get used to it."

"That is quitter talk!" Lea replied, "Besides, this is a sure fire plan, I'm sure of it."

"Honestly, Lea, I'm starting to agree." Aqua sighed through her bars, "It would take a miracle at this point to get us out of here."

Groaning, Lea sat down in his cell, chucking his hand crafted chalk to the side. However, amongst the shattered expressions, a large rumbling could be heard coming from above, catching the attentions of all four of the trapped victims.

"Well that's questionable." Cloud stated, before they all looked to see a horde of Heartless start to form outside of their cells.

"As is that…" Lightning added, as the four backed away from their cells, uncertain of what exactly was about to happen. But then, out of nowhere, a corridor of light appeared in the hallway, drawing the Heartless' attention.

"Ok, now they are literally just giving us weird things to look at." Lea stated sarcastically, as the Heartless reacted negatively to the portal, snarly and even a few leapt up to attack it. But when they did leap up, the portal pulsed, and from it, VoltEditzz emerged from the top, slashing away at the airborne Heartless before landing on the other side of the horde.

"Volt!" Cloud exclaimed at the sight of his apprentice.

"Sorry we're late." Volt said, "Positioning was a bit tricky."

"Wait, 'we'? Who else is with you?" Aqua asked. Almost on cue, two more figures leapt out from the portal, hacking at the horde of Heartless in their way, before nothing stood in their path. Resting from their onslaught, the two Keyblade masters put themselves at ease.

"Oh, it feels good to be back." Riku cooed, cracking his neck.

"You said it." Mickey agreed, "Just like the old days."

"Riku! Mickey! Are we ever glad to see you." Aqua exclaimed, seeing her old friends.

"Good to see you too, Aqua!" Riku responded, "Now let's get you guys out of here."

"How did you guys find us?" Lea asked.

"Cid was able to pinpoint the remnants' whereabouts." Volt explained, using his Keyblade to unlock Lightning and Cloud's cell, "It took some time, but we had some help in order to narrow down where you guys were."

"Well, isn't that peachy." Lightning responded, though Volt could notice a chill in her voice towards him.

"I'm still not off the hook from what happened at The Land of Departure, am I?" He asked.

"Not even close." Lightning answered. Volt sighed, knowing that was going to be her response.

Meanwhile, Riku and Mickey used their Keyblades to unlock Aqua and Lea's respective cells, as the two stepped out of their confinements and were able to summon their own Keyblades again.

"Ok, what's say we save all of the talking until we are all out of here, kay?" Lea stated, to which everyone agreed. However, the portal was starting to become incredibly unstable. At that moment, Umbrella Dispatch emerged from the portal just as it closed down on them.

"Dispatch, what are you doing here?" Aqua asked the young Mage.

"I came to warn you guys about the portal becoming unstable." Dispatch told her master, "It felt like something was trying to block us out."

"So we're stuck here…again." Lea groaned. Aqua, ignoring the pyro's pandering, looked back at the young girl.

"Well, what else can we do?" Aqua asked intently.

"I was about to ask the same question!"

Upon hearing the new voice, the group looked behind them to see Musoka and Kurai emerge from dark corridors. "I mean, brother is going to be so hurt when he finds that his friends have been eradicated!" Musoka sarcastically pouted.

"After what's coming, I don't think he'll really care." Kurai reminded her, to which Musoka simply shrugged.

"Oh well, at least we still get to finish these losers off!" She responded, summoning her bow and arrow, ready to attack.

Before anything could happen though, Mickey leaped in front of the group with his Keyblade pointed at the two remnants. "Stopza!" He cried out, as the remnants unwilling froze in place, giving the group some time to think.

"Lea, can you summon a dark corridor out of here?" Riku asked.

"I haven't done it in a while, so it might not get us far. But I can try." Lea answered, as he held out his hands and summoned all of his strength to call forth a dark portal. "Everyone hurry up and get in. I don't have all day to hold this!" He shouted, as everyone didn't waste any time in hurrying out of the area.

As they exited the other side of the portal, the group found themselves in what looked like a foyer. It was kind of similar to the old mansion in Twilight Town, though this one had a more cave-esque feel.

"We must still be in their castle." Volt stated, as everyone started looking for more ways out.

Out of the corner of her eye, Dispatch noticed a very large door, and heard what sounded like the others battling on the other side. "There's the exit!" She pointed out to them, as everyone started making a mad dash for the nearby entrance. However, right before they got close to it, another corridor of darkness appeared. From it, Kurai appeared, wearing massive gauntlets as his weapon, as he slammed his fist into the ground, causing swarms of dark energy to omit from his attack, creating Heartless from the pools of darkness that started attacking the group.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Musoka taunted, as she too entered via dark corridor, and started firing toward the group. Aqua, Lea, Lightning and Cloud were quick to battle the determined remnant, while Riku, Mickey, Volt and Dispatch tried to take care of the swarm, while also dodging Kurai's massive attacks.

While Riku and Mickey had no problem hacking away at the usual swarm they were so used to by this point, as well as Dispatch having quite the amount of magic to back her up, Volt was having a hard time trying to contend with Kurai's strength, as the dark remnant was vastly overpowering the electric one, though his speed was able to help him out in tight situations. However, amidst his constant dodging, Volt was soon caught by Kurai, who held the young boy in his gauntlets' grip tightly.

"You're getting on my nerves." He growled.

"I have a knack for that." Volt smartly replied.

"Not anymore." Kurai responded, "Y'know with you being so small and weak, me literally ripping in two won't be as hard as I thought."

"You wouldn't want to underestimate me." Volt chuckled, as his voice suddenly became dark and booming, "You might be shocked!"

Confused by what was happening, Kurai watched as Volt's jacket design light up, while the young Keyblade wielder's eyes glowed an electric light. Then, without warning, Volt unleashed a powerful shockwave from his body, electrifying Kurai, and causing him to drop the young boy, as he fell to the ground, knocked out.

Meanwhile, Musoka had already knocked the wind out of Cloud and Lea, leaving her to duel with Aqua and Lightning, as the ladies were putting up their most vicious of dukes. After locking blades with each other over and over, Musoka had knocked Lightning to the side, and was ready to send an arrow straight through Aqua. However, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Volt recovering from his encounter with Kurai, and with a sudden thought occurring in her mind, she decided to play dirty.

Thus with a smirk, she turned her bow slightly away from Aqua, and fired the arrow at the unsuspecting Volt, who had just turned around to notice the dark arrow strike him straight through the chest.

"VOLT!" Lightning cried out in anguish, as the electric one stumbled to his knees, before toppling over. Having destroyed the swarm already, Riku, Mickey and Dispatch rushed to the young boy's side, while Lightning gathered herself from the ground and dashed to his side as well.

Dispatch, looking over her shoulder, saw Musoka smiling right at her. "Like I said: One of you would fall by my hand." She said, as she summoned a dark corridor and exited the room, creating another portal for the still unconscious Kurai, who also disappeared.

"Volt, please talk to me!" Lighting said, resting Volt's head in her lap. Volt, who was still conscious, looked around him.

"Ok, I'll take blame for that. I mean, that was just straight up lazy on my part." He wheezed, as everyone tried to think of something.

"What do we do? We have to do something." Dispatch said impatiently.

"Mickey and I can use our D-Charge. It would be able to sustain him long enough." Aqua said, as Mickey nodded, but Volt disagreed.

"No, no," He grunted, "It'll take too long, even for the two of you. Besides, the guys need you all out there. I've already played my part."

"No, solider, you listen to me!" Lightning commanded, "We're not leaving you here. There's got to be a way for us to help you."

"I'm sorry, Lightning." Volt coughed, "I'm sorry I screwed up all the time. I just wanted to prove myself, y'know. To show you I was...good enough to fight alongside you."

"No, no no no, Volt listen, listen to me" Lightning said, "You've more than proven yourself to me, ok, multiple times. I, I just wanted to push you so you could be even stronger. You're a good kid, Volt, you always have been. And I just...I don't want it to end like this!"

Volt laughed, "Well you know what they say: 'All good things come to an end'." He said, before he and he alone saw something bright appear above him.

"_Tyler?...can you hear me?"_

Volt's eyes widened. "Who are you?"

"_I think it's time you and I meet. Would you like to come see me?"_

Volt, realizing who this person was, raised his hand into the air, before the light came closer to him, and engulfed his body. As the group backed away from what was going on, the light faded, and with it, VoltEditzz's body was gone.

Trying to pull herself together, Lightning stood from where she sat, and proceeded to pull out her gunblade. "Ok then," She mustered up, "Let's go."

Thus, the group all headed for the exit, ready to give the heroes much needed assistance.

* * *

More dust flew through the wind, as Odaykan led HMK down into a small crater, which almost resembled a sort of shrine. "Soon, brother," Odaykan said, "This will all be over. And our once glorious master shall be reborn."

"Our master." HMK mustered, "Xehanort?"

"Yes," Odyakan answered, "And with with his return, our goal will be reached, and he will be able to continue his life long ambition."

"What? Plunge more worlds into into an even deeper abyss?"

Turning around, Odaykan looked to see SoraAlam approaching from the top of the crater, obviously out of breath from chasing them down.

"You don't understand what our master is capable of." Odaykan stated, "With him alive once more, the worlds will be able to return to its original form."

"Yeah. Darkness, darkness, and more darkness." SoraAlam responded, "That's why we can't let you get away with this."

Odaykan was starting to lose his patience. "You don't get it, do you?" He laughed, "Darkness has always covered the wolds! It's the world's true essence! All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end. Darkness sprouts within it, it grows, consumes it. Such is it's nature. Then again, you know so little where there is so very much to learn." As he ranted, Odaykan then turned to face SoraAlam, whose face still exhibited braveness, though the remnant could spot a sense of fear in his eyes. "Tell me, does it bother now to know what kind of person you are?" He asked, "To know that all you did in your past life was going to amount to nothing. Just a repeated cycle?"

"It doesn't matter what kind of life I used to live!" SoraAlam shouted, "Whether I was meant for this path or not doesn't dictate what I know is right or wrong. All I need to know is that wherever there are people like you, I will not stand by while upset the balance of the worlds." Summoning his Keyblade, SoraAlam dropped into his battle stance, glaring at the remnant in his way. "I know who I am. Do you?"

Feeling insulted, Odaykan found this as the last turning point. "Fine," he growled, as he pushed HMK to the side of the crater, "If you wish to have your fate sealed, so be it!" Thus, Odaykan summoned two large daggers into his hand, both of which he combined the handles in order to create a staff. Then quickly, he charged toward SoraAlam, who was also charging at his opponent.

The two engaged in combat for quite some time, SoraAlam trying to utilize his magic to the best of his ability, while Odaykan was constantly shifting his weapons to try and get the upper hand on SoraAlam's maneuverability. On multiple occasions, Odaykan had SoraAlam on the defensive, calmly yet brutally slashing away the Keyblade wielder's attacks.

SoraAlam, trying to keep up with the swiftness of his opponent, soon found himself reeling from every attack his opponent was throwing, before eventually, Odaykan was able to break through his defenses and slash him away. Being put in his place, SoraAlam watched as Odaykan stood above him, with an oddly wicked smile plastered across his face.

"Looks like you don't live up to your past at all." Odaykan taunted, "Besides…it's time!"

SoraAlam, confused, looked to see Odaykan's hand go blurry, as his entire body was starting to completely fizz out.

Back at the castle doors, the other remnants were feeling the same thing, as their bodies start to disintegrate and float away toward the crater. Sky and Cynical, worried by what was happening, hurried to see where their disintegrated bodies were heading.

As they approached the crater, they saw the disintegrated bodies flowing into Odaykan, as the duo approached SoraAlam to help him up, though were still in awe of what was happening.

Odaykan, manically laughing at the the power he could feel surging through him, moved slightly over to grab HMK, merging the hectic one's body with his own to fully complete the transformation.

The others were screaming after their friend, but it was too late, as his body was fully gone into what was left of the remnants, as Odaykan's remaining body exploded with a burst of darkness that just as quickly imploded on itself, creating an absurd amount of dust blowing in the wind.

Seeing the massive dust cloud create itself, Dispatch led the group out of the castle and toward where exactly all of this commotion was coming from. However, before they could actually reach the inside of the crater, the group encountered what felt like a force field.

"What the heck? What is going on?" Dispatch exclaimed, looking in to see the dust starting to clear, and managed to see SoraAlam, Sky and Cynical still ok. However, their expressions were that of straight dread, as they were looking on at something they never thought would ever be possible.

Standing in front of them was an elderly man, with golden eyes, pointed ears, a bald head and sharp goatee, and wicked smile, as he simply uttered the words: "I am…reborn."

* * *

**Cliffhangers for dayz! (That's right, I'm THAT cruel!)**

**So, yeah, lots happened! Dear old VoltEditzz sadly bit the dust (c'mon, at least one person had to die this chapter. :P), and of course the master of darkness himself has made his reappearance. Did I mention that hype is flowing EVERYWHERE?! ;)**

**So with that, concludes today's chapter! But, don't fret, friends, tomorrow, the end continues! So until then, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! **

**P.S. Props to anyone who can find the Spider-Man 2 reference!**


	24. No Heart

**Hello everyone and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Well, last time, some big stuff went down, and I'm pretty sure you're just going to ignore this whole section because you just want to know what happens to our beloved heroes now that Roy Conli I MEAN Master Xehanort is back. So, I'm just going to shut up and let the action roll on. Enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney**

* * *

CHAPTER 24

Everyone was frozen. No one knew whether to be shocked, frightened, or both. All they knew was this was not good, no matter how hard they tried to believe that this wasn't happening.

As the dust settled within the crater, Xehanort walked toward the group of heroes, slowly clapping as he approached them. "Bravo." He taunted, "You have all preformed admirably. I would expect nothing less from a group of talented individuals. But I'm afraid you must all understand that this was all but inevitable."

As Xehanort looked on at the group in front of him, the Keyblade wielders didn't waste any time in charging after the old master, who simply shook his head in disappointment. "Feckless neophytes." He muttered, as he simply held out his hand and blasted the group away with a dark shockwave.

As they collected themselves from the blast, Cynical was the first to attempt an attack at Xehanort. Xehanort, however, simply sidestepped each of the heuristic one's attacks, still with both his hands resting behind his back, before he simply blasted the young boy away with Dark Firaga.

Sky was next, trying to attack Xehanort from the air, but the old man noticed the young Keyblade master coming a mile away, throwing blasts of Blizzaga toward Sky's way. Sky, noticing this, dived into the blast, drilling it all out of his way, but when he made to the end of the blast, he was met with a powerful Quake attack to the face, knocking him out of the air and onto the ground.

The last one remaining was SoraAlam, who tried to stay calm as Xehanort looked him straight in the eye from across the crater. "It appears this all comes down to you, as it always does." Xehanort assessed, "Thus, you know very well what happens when two strong forces of light and darkness clash."

"My memory's a little hazy." SoraAlam sternly replied, "Do you want to give me a refresher?"

Xehanort, intrigued by the young boy's confidence, summoned his goat design Keyblade into his hand with a short chuckle. "Very well." He responded, "Try to keep up." As soon as he uttered those words, Xehanort quickly teleported away and right into SoraAlam's face, ready to cut the boy down to size. However, SoraAlam was quick to counter Xehanort, and was soon on the offense, though Xehanort was still one hand blocking all of the young Keyblade wielder's attacks with ease.

Xehanort then quickly tried to fire a blast of Blizzaga into SoraAlam's face, but SoraAlam was also trying to do the same, causing the two to clash hands with their powers seeping out of their palms. However, as soon as SoraAlam thought that the two finally found their equal footing, Xehanort used one last push to blast his icy attack all over SoraAlam, causing the young boy to fly back toward his friends, whom were now all beaten and bruised.

Xehanort chuckled, "You three are most certainly quite powerful, I will give you that. However, it was only a matter of time before light and darkness intertwined. Now, the time is finally upon us." Thus, raising his Keyblade into the air, Xehanort watched a bright surround his weapon, as it grew out longer and wider, until it took the shape of a brand new weapon. One that the trio feared they would see in his hand.

"The X-Blade." Sky gasped.

"With it, I shall continue what I set out to do all those years ago, and plunge my enemies into eternal darkness." Xehanort declared, "Starting with the fools who dare to face me now."

"No! We won't let you!" SoraAlam said, getting his feet.

"We know HMK is still in there. He wouldn't do this!" Cynical also added.

Xehanort, feeling a twitch in his memories, suddenly became enraged toward his foes. "Your friend his gone!" He shouted, "There is only my conquest!" With a quick swipe of the X-Blade, Xehanort sent the trio flying backwards in a blast of dark haze, that suddenly trapped them to the ground. Though they struggled to release themselves, Xehanort wandered overtop of them, with a sinister look in his eye. "Your mind games will not overtake me." He declared, "For it is the darkness that shall overtake you!"

Dispatch, watching from the sidelines, decided that standing around and doing nothing was not something she planned on doing. Thinking quickly, she used Quake to drill into the ground, before drilling out on the other side of the force field. "STOP!" She cried out, as Xehanort, who was just about to end the trio right then and there, looked on at the young girl, as his thoughts started to betray him.

"You." He growled, as his head started to ache at the sight of the young Mage.

"HMK, listen to me, I know you're in there!" Dispatch continued to call out, inching herself closer to the weakening Keyblade master, "I know you have the power to fight this! You said yourself that the darkness was yours to control and not the other way around. You can control it. You just need a little light to guide you!"

Xehanort, dropping the X-Blade in agony, threw his hands on his head in pain. "No! Stop it!" He barked, as Dispatch started getting closer and closer toward him.

"Please," she said softly, "You can use my light." Then, right before the old Keybalde master could do anything, Dispatch threw her arms around Xehanort, almost ready to burst into tears. "Please," she whispered, "Please come back to me. I love you."

"NOOOOOO!" Xehanort, feeling an over abundance of both light and darkness swimming through him, could almost feel as though his body was being ripped straight through.

Dispatch looked to see a silhouette of sorts forming out of Xehanort's chest, which was also screaming in pain. Looking closely, Dispatch recognized it as none other than HMK, who was starting to break free from his prison. Reaching out, Dispatch grabbed hold of the silhouette, which was starting to become solid upon touching it, and jerked it out of Xehanort, causing the old man to stagger, while Dispatch fell to the ground, with a now fully returned HMK resting beside her.

"HMK!" Dispatch exclaimed, coming to the young boy's side, as he in turn was groaning from what he just went through.

"I...am never letting any of you guys let me wander off like that ever again." He groaned, as Dispatch, overjoyed that her boyfriend was ok again, moved forward and kissed HMK, who was more than happy to return it.

"Agreed." She said, as the others, who had been released from their bindings, ran over to their friend.

"HMK!" SoraAlam exclaimed, "You're alright!"

"C'mon, guys," HMK responded, as his friends tried to help him to his feet, "You can't get rid of me that easily."

The group laughed, before they heard a snarl of sounds arise, looking over to see Xehanort in a most peculiar of states.

Hunched over and somewhat limping, Xehanort's form was shifting between that of him and his six other remnants, taking on their likeness's and features. However, the face that was appearing the most, was that of an enraged Odaykan.

"You insolent brat!" Odaykan-Xehanort (Odaykanort) cried out, "How dare you have the nerve, or dare I even say being to betray me!"

"Face the facts!" HMK replied, "It doesn't matter what you throw at any of us, we will always find a way to come out on top!"

"Fool!" Odaykanort proclaimed, "You think you can overthrow someone as powerful as me? You are nothing compared to the strength I possess. The strength of darkness! The strength of Xehanort!"

"Funny you say that." HMK smirked, "because if that seems to be the case, then I think I'll be just fine." HMK then removed his sunglasses, as he grinned at the confused fractured remnant, "I mean, after all…I'm already half Xehanort."

Seeing the golden glare of his remnant's eyes, Odaykanort screamed in anger, ready to pounce on his enemies. However, before he could do so, HMK summoned his Keyblade and fired a beam of darkness at Odaykanort, who staggered back as the blast kept pushing backward. As HMK continued to hold his beam on his opponent, SoraAlam joined him by firing a beam of light at Odaykanort, before Sky and Cynical eventually also joined in, with all four of them blasting their beams of light and darkness at the decomposing Keybalde master of old.

As their beams died down, Odaykanort feeling weaker by the minute, the group looked to see pieces of light and darkness beginning to form in front of them, until to their amazement, the X-Blade was summoned in front of them.

"The X-Blade!" Odaykanort cried out, before the group gathered around it and placed their hands on it, together aiming it at their weakened enemy.

"Goodbye, Xehanort." HMK stated, before all together, the group summoned all of their strength and power to fire a massive beam of light and darkness at Odaykannort, who was staggering to keep himself together.

Trying to fight the blast, Odaykanort looked to see the spirits of the four Keyblade wielders form into one, and from that one spirit, another figure emerged from their power, resembling none other than the last person to use this power to defeat Xehanort.

"You…" He gasped, as the young former Keyblde wielder looked sternly at the deranged old man.

"_No more running, Xehanort. It's over."_

Enraged by the final words of his old nemesis, Odaykanort let out one final cry of anguish, as the blast began to completely disintegrate him. Thus, as the blast died down, the group dropped to the ground, incredibly tired.

Trying to catch their breath, the group looked up from where they were, to see the dust clear away to reveal nothing left of their opponent.

Xehanort was finally no more.

"We…we did it." Sky exhaled, as the rest of them started to brandish smiles upon their faces, realizing what they just accomplished.

"Yeah," Cynical laughed in amazement, "I guess we did."

As the force field dropped, the rest of the group arrived to help the four young boys up from the ground.

"Are you guys ok?" Lea asked.

"Ask us that a little after we just defeated the embodiment of pure darkness." HMK replied with a tired smirk, to which his master simply smiled at, knowing that his apprentice was safe.

"Welcome back." Lea snickered, as everyone helped the group out of the now barren crater.

* * *

**[Cue Final Fantasy victory music!] **

**Well, wasn't that quite the way to go out! And with a surprise cameo from a face that I'm pretty sure who all can figure out who it was (he was also the same person talking to Volt in the last chapter just to clarify.) **

**But with that said, Xehanort is officially KO'ed thanks to our heroes, but that doesn't mean our tale is over just yet...**

**But until tomorrow's grand finale, that brings us to the end of today's chapter! As always, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! **


	25. Keepers of the X-Blade

**Hello everyone and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Well folks, the time has finally come...the final chapter...**

**Wow, what a journey this has been. Now yes, this is quite a short chapter, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hold bigger weight. What do I mean by that? Well, lets not waste any more time, and lets dive right into final chapter of our tale. Enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney**

* * *

CHAPTER 25

The castle interior was quiet, as the four young Kegblade Wielders gathered around the area in which they heard VoltEditzz had been lost. Feeling that loss deep down, the group approached the area with caution, before they all silently paid tribute to their fallen comrade.

"Volt was...uh... well, he was a brave guy." HMK sighed, unsure how exactly to put his words to the situation.

"Of all the ways he had to go out, I didn't expect it to be like this." Sky added, to which the group nodded in agreement.

"At least he went out fighting. For us." SoraAlam added, "If anything, that alone makes him worth remembering."

Thus, giving one last look back at deserted spot, the group decided that it was best that they let things be, turning away from Volt's resting place and heading for the exit.

Opening the door out to the courtyard, the group was approached by their friends and masters, embracing them all, once again glad that they were all safe.

"So, what do we do now?" Cynical asked.

"The Land of Departure is still gone." Lea answered, "Meaning we don't have a home to return to."

"The darkness swallowed everything." Aqua added, "Without enough light, we'll never get back."

As the group looked somewhat defeated, an idea started to form in SoraAlam's head. "That's it!" He realized. "We DO have enough light!"

"Wait a sec, we do?" Cynical asked, doing a double take as his friend gathered the four Keyblade wielders together.

"C'mon, don't tell me you guys aren't thinking about this either?" SoraAlam inquired the group, to which Sky began to look around, wide-eyed.

"Of course! Why didn't I think about it?" Sky exclaimed.

"Uh, do you wanna share with the rest of the class?" HMK asked, still confused.

"Just do as we do." Sky suggested, as he and SoraAlam held out their hands, as if reaching out to something. Deciding to humor their friends, HMK, as well as Cynical, joined in reaching out, until the four of them collectively summoned the X-Blade.

Seeing the ancient weapon materialize for them again, HMK started to put the pieces together. "Wait a sec," He inquired, "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"If you're suggesting using the light of the X-Blade to bring back our world, then yeah, I'd say you're pretty much right on the money." Sky answered, as the four Keyblade wielders grabbed hold of the blade.

"C'mon, together." SoraAlam said.

Aiming it up into the sky, the four boys then fired off a massive beam of light into the sky, and before they knew it, the dark clouds vanished away to reveal a bright blue sky underneath, as well as the dark and gloom castle now becoming bright and golden, with chains looping out onto the now lush mountains beside it. Looking all around, everyone noticed that everything was bright and colorful again, and admired the job that the four young Keyblade wielders accomplished.

They transformed the Keyblade Graveyard into The Land of Departure!

"Incredible." Lightning admired, "You boys certainly have something special."

"Yes. Yes they do." Aqua added, as she watched the four boys dismiss the weapon before going off to interact with their respective mentors and friends. SoraAlam, out of the four, was the one to approach her. "I'm proud of you, SoraAlam." She said to the young boy, "You showed a lot of courage. Something I'm sure even Sora himself would find admirable."

SoraAlam looked at his master, "You knew this whole time, didn't you?" He asked her.

"I wanted you to discover for yourself." She explained, "So you could grow, and achieve the same thing as Sora."

"What's that?" SoraAlam asked, to which Aqua pointed behind him at his new allies.

"You gained friends to stand by your side." Aqua went on, "And you helped bring the light out in each one of them. It's a feat worthy of a Keyblade master."

That last part caught SoraAlam off guard, as he looked back at his smiling master, surprised. "A Keyblade master?" SoraAlam asked, "Me?"

"You've more than proven yourself worthy." Aqua admitted, "And I couldn't see anyone else more fit for that role than you."

"I'm honored." SoraAlam thanked, flattered, as he bowed to his mentor, "Thank you, Master Aqua."

"No," Aqua said, bowing back to her apprentice, "Thank you, Master SoraAlam."

Looking over to their friend, the rest of the group admired the massive honor that was bestowed upon him.

At that moment, Lea turned to HMK. "You know," he said to the hectic one, "you managed to hold your own out there pretty well too. And if I didn't know any better, I'd say you managed to conquer your darkness."

HMK smiled, as Dispatch came close to him, holding his hand. "It was a struggle." He admitted, "but all I needed was a little light to help guide me."

"Huh, then in that case," Lea added, "how would you feel I also gave you the title of 'Keyblade master'?"

HMK's eyes widened. "Seriously?" He asked.

"Why not?" Lea answered, "I mean, after all you've been through, and the hardships you had to overcome to be here, I'd that more than makes you worthy of the title."

HMK, though initially overwhelmed, suddenly had a new thought. "Thank you, Lea." HMK thanked his master, "but I have to decline." Lea, though taken aback, listened to what his apprentice and friend had to say. "I doesn't matter which title I'm given." HMK answered, "Deep down, I already know in my heart that I'm a master, as are all of us."

"Bold words, buddy." Lea said with a smile, "but somehow, it still suits you." HMK smiled back at his master, before Lea proceeded to mess with his hair. "Just, don't ever change." The red headed master added, to which HMK chuckled.

"Don't worry, Lea." HMK reassure his master, pointing to his forehead, "I'll always have it memorized."

Lea, grinning at his student, watched as HMK, as well as the other three, started to gather together again. This time, however, the group were wearing questioning faces as they looked at each other.

"So…I guess this is it huh?" SoraAlam asked.

"Yeah…I guess." Sky added, as everyone was unsure of what to do. They had all been together for some time now, and the idea of them all going their separate ways just wasn't something they could picture.

"Do you think we'll ever see each other again?" Cynical asked.

"I…I don't know." HMK answered, until a thought occurred in his head. "Unless…" He started.

"Unless what?" Sky asked.

"Guys, think about it. When it was just us individually, sure we were powerful, but we were also isolated, and disconnected." HMK explained, "but…when we combined our powers together…" HMK then held out his hand, and amongst the four of them, the X-Blade appeared.

"What are you getting at, HMK?" SoraAlam asked, as the X-Blade dismissed itself.

"I'm saying that we should stay together." HMK explained, "Knowing everything that Sora went through, people like Xehanort still exist amongst the worlds, and will try to upset the balance like he did, and try and take the X-Blade for themselves. Which is why I think we should stay a team, to protect the worlds and prevent the X-Blade from ever falling into the wrong hands ever again."

Though the four were skeptical at first, they were slowly starting agreeing with HMK's idea. "Yeah," SoraAlam said, "Keeping balance in the worlds, while keeping the X-Blade safe."

"Yeah, we could have a fancy name and everything!" Cynical started to joke, "like, 'The Heroes of the In-Between'!', or the 'Blade Warriors', or something, I dunno, uh...'The X-Keepers'?" Though the heuristic one was still spitballing, everyone looked at him curiously at the mention of that title.

"Actually, I kind of like that name." Sky pointed out.

"Yeah, me too." HMK added, which caused him and Sky to do a double take, for once actually agreeing on something.

"Hey boys!" Dispatch called out, "Are you ready to come home?"

Before they could answer, a shining light appeared in the sky behind them. Looking back at the bright light, the new team looked to see the light dim down, revealing what looked like a keyhole in the sky, still shining brightly. Understanding what this meant, the group looked back their friends.

"Almost," HMK answered.

"There's one more thing we have to do first." SoraAlam added.

Dispatch, understanding their new calling, smiled alongside Aqua, Lea, Lightning and Cloud, as they all watched the young boys turn back toward the light, before stepping back down into the courtyard looking up at the keyhole, summoning their Keyblades one by one.

"No more running." HMK muttered.

"No turning back." SoraAlam added.

"Never give up." Cynical chanted.

"Always fight on." Sky finished.

Thus, as they raised their blades into the air, the four young Keyblade wielders together fired off beams of light toward the keyhole, as the light filled the hole while a locking sound could be heard. As the keyhole locked, a bright light filled the area, as the four boys closed their eyes, and accepted their new destiny.

Together, they were strong, they were skilled, they were masterful, and they were mighty.

Together, they were…

* * *

_**THE X-KEEPERS **_

* * *

_**~X~**_

_**Dean Alam - SoraAlam**_

_**Giovanni Santos - HMK**_

_**Jared Shaw - Cynical**_

_**Noel Flores - Skyward Wing**_

_**~X~**_

_**Tyler Wiener - VoltEditzz**_

_**Jill Valentine - Umbrella Dispatch **_

_**Willa Holland - Aqua**_

_**Quinton Flynn - Lea**_

_**Ali Hillis - Lightning**_

_**Steve Burton - Cloud**_

_**~X~**_

_**Steven Blum - Odaykan**_

_**Maurice LaMarche - Shinshi**_

_**Matthew Mercer - Keisan**_

_**Clancy Brown - Kurai**_

_**James Arnold Taylor - Itazura**_

_**E.G. Daily - Musoka**_

_**~X~**_

_**Tom Hiddleston - Loki**_

_**George Newbern - Sephiroth**_

_**Vincent Marcella - Dyne**_

_**~X~**_

_**David Gallagher - Riku**_

_**Hayden Panattere - Kairi**_

_**Bret Iwan - King Mickey**_

_**Corey Burton - Ansem the Wise**_

_**~X~**_

_**with**_

_**Scott Glenn**_

_**as**_

_**Xehanort**_

_**~X~**_

_**and**_

_**Haley Joel Osment**_

_**as **_

_**Sora**_

_**~X~**_

_**Written by **_

_**Devon Otterman **_

_**~X~**_

_**Executive Producers [Not really]**_

_**Shinji Hashimoto**_

_**Tetsuya Nomura**_

_**~X~**_

_**Based on **_

_**KINGDOM HEARTS**_

_**Developed by**_

_**SquareEnix**_

_**~X~**_

_**Shadow Shoveler Productions**_

_**Presents**_

_**~X~**_

_**In association with **_

_**Disney Interactive **_

_**and**_

_**SquareEnix**_

_**~X~**_

* * *

_**THE X-KEEPERS**_

* * *

**And with that, folks, brings us to the end of The X-Keepers...or does it?**

**Before I go, I have one more small tidbit I want to share with you guys, which will be posted shortly. So until then, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! **


	26. Epilogue: Early Morning Skype Call

**Hello everyone and welcome back to The X-Keepers!**

**Yeah, before I completely finished this story, I wanted to leave you a small fun tidbit to entertain you guys one last time. Hopefully The X-Keepers themselves might get a kick out of this one! **

**Anyways, take a look and enjoy!**

**Kingdom Hearts and all related media are owned by SquareEnix/Disney**

* * *

EPILOGUE

Skyward Wing's eyes quickly shot open as he sat up in his bed. Shaking himself awake, he thought to himself about what he just dreamed about. It was so weird, and yet, so incredible. One thing was for sure, he had to tell the guys about it.

Quickly moving from his bed to his computer, he in no time was on Skype, trying to call the other X-Keepers. As he sat waiting for them to respond to his call, each and every one of them were typing in the chat as to why he was trying to contact them so early in the morning. 5:30 in the morning to be precise! Simply replying back that it was important, Sky hit send as the others decide to start the call.

As the call opened up, Sky looked to see the tired faces of his friends, save for Cynical who was just about to head off to bed. "Hey Sky, what's up?" Cynical asked still somewhat more lively than the others.

"Noel, I swear, you better have a damn good reason for getting us up this early." HMK groaned, trying to keep himself awake.

"Guys, you are not going to believe what happened." Sky started to explain, "Ok, so I was dreaming, and, the coolest thing happened. We were all in the universe of Kingdom Hearts!"

"Wait, what?" HMK groggily asked.

"I know right? It was so cool!" Sky kept going on, "Like, Aqua and Lea were there, we were going off to different Disney worlds, my Keyblade glider looked like Aang's glider from Avatar, we were…"

"Wait, hold on a sec," SoraAlam interjected, "Was I the reincarnation of Sora?"

"Yeah." Sky answered, as the others started to have questionale thoughts.

"Was a remnant of Xehanort?" HMK also asked.

"Yes." Sky answered again, now he too starting to get a bit nervous.

"Was I the adopted son of Ansem the Wise?" Cynical asked.

"Yeah…all of that." Sky said slowly, as he and his friends just stopped for a second. Everyone was silent, unsure of what exactly to say.

"Did…did we all just have the same dream?" SoraAlam asked, confused.

"I…I think so." HMK agreed.

"Yeah, I been having that same dream too." Cynical added.

Everyone just remained silent again, assessing what they all just remembered. All of them having the same dream, with the same details and same turn of events were quite astounding, and in many ways pretty spooky. One of them having the dream might have been weird, but this was another level of crazy. But the more the four boys started to think about these events, maybe, in some odd way, they all were supposed to have that same dream. Maybe it was to make them realize what kind of impact this game series had on the four of them. And in some way, their love of this game was supposed to bring them together like this.

Perhaps…in a strange way…they truly were all connected.

After much thinking, HMK simply said, "Eh, maybe it was just a coincidence."

"Yeah, you're probably right." The group nonchalantly agreed, as an idea like that couldn't possibly be real.

"Sorry I got you guys up for no reason." Sky apologized.

"Hey, no worries, brah." HMK said in return, "You still good for the stream tonight?"

"Absolutely." Sky answered.

"Alright," HMK said with a yawn, "I'll check you guys later then."

"Ok, see you guys!" Sky said as he exited the call and closed down Skype.

Before he left his chair, Sky sat for second, still wondering if all that he imagined was real, but simply shook it off. Instead, he hopped back into his bed and went back to sleep.

* * *

**[Cue music box version of Dearly Beloved to close us out!]**

**And with that, guys, officially, brings us to the end of The X-Keepers FanFiction! Like I said, this has been an amazing ride, and I am so glad that all of you have managed to still stick around with me through thick and thin and have continuously enjoyed the story from start to finish. So from the bottom of my heart guys, thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, and all around being just straight up awesome! **

**And of course, this story would not even be possible without The X-Keepers themselves! You guys are the reason this story became as big as it was, and the reason that I continued to write it each possible minute I could. You guys have inspired me as a fan, an artist, and a storyteller, and I cannot be more thankful for that. So Dean, Gio, Jared, Noel, and even Tyler, thank you guys SO much for your ever growing support. I've said it God knows how many times, and I will continue to say it again: it means a lot to me. Thank you!**

**But with that now all said and done, that brings us to the end of today's chapter! As always, feel free to comment (No Trolling!) and I'll see you guys in the next story! **


End file.
